Shawn Wilson- Guest Writer: 6 Cheap Ways To Be Broke And Happy

Six (6) Cheap Ways To Be Broke And Happy

"Happiness is a state of mind; not a state of possession" -Unknown

I'm broke as hell. There's no money in my bank account, and the assets I have value a couple thousand. Other than that I have nothing on a church mouse.

My poverty, however, hasn't got the best of me. I'm not stressed out ..., and I’m fairly happy. Well ... sort of.

Reason being, I've learnt the Buddhist art of "no attachment", and how to live within my means. (Hard lessons I learnt while I was in college.)

Here are some other things I’ve learnt.

#1. That money doesn't buy (much) happiness...

...And the "little" that it buys doesn't last.

Studies show that after earning a certain amount of money per year, the rush one feels about money disappears.

Remember how you were excited when you got your first bicycle/...? And remember how quickly the excitement went? It's the same with money.

Along with "stuffs" here's what money can buy.

#2. Big experiences

But you don't need money to have quality experiences.

Watching a beautiful sunset is a quality experience. Going to the river with your friends is a quality experience. Getting a good night's sleep is a quality experience. Having a good laugh is a quality experience.... And the list could go on and on.

I know you’d rather go to Dubai and Paris, and I would too..., but, umm, unless you can buy such an experience, forget it. (You probably wouldn’t buy it if you could, anyway.)

#3. If you can't afford “it”, don’t buy “it”

You can't afford it if you can’t buy more than one of it. At least, that’s my principle.

I can afford something only when I can buy two or three of that thing, and still have enough money left over.

#4. Don't try to keep up with the “Joneses”...

...Because you can't. You're broke. The “Joneses” are wealthy. That's why the grass is so green on their lawn. But don’t forget that that's why their water bill is so high. And you can't afford their water bill, much less their light bill.

Do this instead. Work on your lawn. Now.

Meaning work on yourself: Be healthy. Stay healthy. Get smarter; and smarter. Think big –and different –and hard.

Read More Here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140913065641-335942314-6-cheap-ways-to-be-broke-and-happy

Written by: Shawn Wilson 

Research Assistant at Biblical Manuscript Research Center

Guest Writer: Sherene McDonald, I will wait for you

Patience 

I knew I should have but I didn’t and that’s the truthI should have prayed and fasted
And patiently wait for youI guess I was too curious and I wanted to exploreBut when I started I just wanted more.I should have seen the destruction and the pain it would causeBut I thought he was the right one for me, and that I could see beyond his flaws.I know I should have prayed and fasted and patiently wait for youI asked for wisdom and understanding but I keep on playing the fool.Abraham waited for Sarah, and she waited for you.Why couldn’t I follow in her foot steps and patiently wait too.I kept thinking it was harmless, you know, me keeping you at arm’s length
I thought I was strong, but when I turned my back on you I lost my strength.I should have prayed and fasted and wait patiently for you, I say I should have prayed and fasted and wait patiently for you.Now, the days go by and I live regretting, it’s so depressing, I try regressingI’m guessing it’s too late, I better learn from this lesson.People judge by what they see and that’s me, messed up, dressed up in the shame I caused myselfThey don’t see the peers with the pressure that’s not bottled and placed on the shelf.I made these mistakes alone, now I must face themI got Jesus and to that I say Amen.
Praying and fasting and patiently waitingI can’t erase the past or determine my future, but I’ll live today
And I’ll wait patiently, and pray, so you could show me the way.

By Sherene McDonald

Guest Writer: Micheal Thomas, Study in a different country.

This piece was written on the request of a very good friend. She wanted me to relate my experiences in studying abroad. I am currently a student at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan in the USA. One of the first questions you may ask is how I got to that school or possibly why I chose it. The answer is that this is just a classic case of making the best of our opportunities.

In the spring of 2011 I applied for a pre-college program at said school and was successful throughout the program. I was awarded a partial scholarship to attend and having faith in God I placed all my chips and made the bet and now I am here. I am currently studying Biochemistry and I have had a wide range of experiences, many of which I hope to someday bring back to Jamaica. Probably the most extensive and beneficial experience I have had and will continue to have, is working at a hospital. In this setting I get to see firsthand what it is I aspire to be and I am able to gather a vast amount of experience with doctors who have been trained to the highest level and to also experience the technological innovations that have yet to reach Jamaican shores.

Studying abroad has the unfortunate reality of homesickness which I often have to battle with. Fortunately there is a network of other Jamaicans who attend and have graduated from the school who still keep our culture very much alive. This system helps in some way to mitigate the homesickness until when I get a chance to visit home again. The major struggles I have experienced in my time here would be transportation and living arrangements. I currently live on my own, by my choice and it is providing that experience of learning how to budget and how to be resourceful. While it could be regarded as a struggle I see it as an opportunity to gain some real world experience and like all the Jamaicans who have attended before me, an avenue by which we become stronger and more motivated individuals.

The school I attend is a bit unconventional in that unlike schools in the USA and in Jamaica, a term for me last only three months and in that time we cover the regular materials the other schools cover in 4-5 months. With that said you have to be on top of time management as missing a single lecture would be like missing a week of lecture at a normal university. Being in the situation I’m in I have been able to adapt (as many persons have to do when studying abroad) and so my academics are doing quite well and as long as I am focused I should continue on the same path.

While the academic schedule is hectic there are many opportunities to be social and so many clubs and organizations are available as well as sporting opportunities and so from those you meet a lot of new people from which you can learn about other cultures. I've met people from China, Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Germany, and Azerbijan just to name a few and from each of them you have the opportunity to learn about a new culture.

Without being in both environments I cannot say studying abroad is better or worse than domestic study. However, I can say that personally I have learned a lot from my time here and have grown to be more independent and even developed a deeper love for my country, out of the fact that Jamaica is one of the brand names you can associate with while studying abroad. So overall the experience has been great and despite all the struggles along the way it is an opportunity worth taking.

By Micheal Thomas 

Guest Writer: Jason Thomas, The Elements To Success: Need, Passion and Determination

The Elements To Success: Need, Passion and Determination

The elements to success in what? That is the first hurdle we must clear, in this glorious race called life as we perceive it. In your race, you must choose: when to race, how to train, where to rest, why to push, who to beat and what to blame. In your race, in success, you’ll find there is not really a difference between the ‘what’ and the ‘who’. Success lives and dies with you, not what or who. ONLY YOU CAN WIN YOUR RACE! What race? Your race. Who’s race? Your race.ON YOUR MARKS!GET SET!Stand up.Okay, the race Marshall has given you time. Time to focus. How strongly does your survival hinge on this victory? Is this the best of you? Will you give your all to the very end? You must.You must, from the heart of your passions. You must be like a passion fruit: pleasantly sweet and tart, and rich in health benefiting plant nutrients.
To be successful you must have passion, you must stand for and be about something. You must be pleasant, to everyone feels your presence and to yourself/ves. You must leave a sensual imprint; maybe unforgettably sweet, tart, both, or simply unforgettable.
You must be rich in health. Your health is your wealth.
 You must go in with the very best of you, fully dedicated, unwaveringly determined. You’ll get nowhere if you ride a half assed donkey. So too your success will be but dreams in the centre of an unbaked pie no one will ever enjoy. It is not enough to think, sketch, write or scheme. One must go and live, learn, love; you must be hundred percent 100 committed.

You must, more than anything else, with passion, and determination, NEED it. It: Success. Success lives and dies with you; how much life will you feed her. Her survival depends on it. Will you clothe her with the finest? Will you shelter her from the destructive elements?
...imagine being on both sides of tears,they say a man is trapped by his fears,yet the brave few still rise... ...they say a man carries his hurt forever,everything he touches feels this fever,yet his love is only to burn... ...yet the brave few still rise.

                                                                        By Jason Ricardo Thomas

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Guest Writer: Daine O. King, The Whispering Thunder

Listen closely, with eyes closed and lips sealed

For a moment to what must be uttered when all other voices have fallen dead

Listen to the steady beat of the drum within my chest

Shut the world away and find serenity where only this rhythmic voice resides

Your presence gives me hope, your kisses bring me life

In a world marred in shadow your light radiates eminently

And chases all despair away

What man could resist such beauty which rivals to which there can be found no equal?

Words fall to deep slumber when the gateways of two souls merge

Nothing in this world is perfect, yet there is perfection in what I have seen.

A walk which carries an orchestra with each stride

And honey that seeps from the window of resonance

To have and to hold seems almost impossible

To behold is something inescapable

The steady beat of the unseen drum is ever intensified in your presence

Yes this is a secret to you.

Listen, if only for a moment to what can only be said

When all other voices have been hushed.

Listen when wind lies still in the dead of night

Listen, just listen…if only for a moment.  

Guest Writer: Daine O. King, Dormant I stand

Dormant I stand, in the face of others

But they do not understand when I tell them

I choose to suffer

I suffer much because of my choosing

Suffer to be fearless, to be heard to be seen

It is a choice I make and though I suffer I

Smile with each breath that I take because I know, yes I know

I chose it, not you, no not you, I chose it.

The rain beats down in thunders that make my cries

Seem like a distant whisper in a forested zone

But still amidst all this I stiff choose to suffer

For within this zone there is more than meets the eye

There is pain yes, but there is also joy

Joy in the endless strains that tug and cut

At my very soul to the point that the life within my veins begin to pour like falling rain

Intangible storms, storms that swirl and

Threaten the very existence of that which makes life worth living.

Still I choose to suffer

Because choosing otherwise would be like feeding ice cream

To a lactose-intolerant kid, or training a dog to sing

My suffering is pivotal to my existence and if you

Take it away and I’m made to suffer no more

Then life would cease and sanity would decrease

Yes decrease to the point of trivialities

Boundless desires with sweetest deaths

Yes I choose to suffer because this is the way it is supposed to be

By Daine O. King 

The Greatest Room: By, Elvy Soltau

"The Greatest Room is the Room for Improvement “. I stumbled upon this quote while attending Denbigh High, I forgot the author’s name but Mrs. Palmer use to write quotes on the notice board at school and I’d read all of them. I grew fond of this one because of the truth that it spoke clearly!

 Growth is a continuous process, there’s always something new we want to try, something new we want to learn or something we didn't get to do in our lifetime that we're still desirous of participating in. This blog post develops from a commentary that one of my best friends made on the previous one entitled “Self Doubt”. He didn't like the idea that I was letting the world know I was a chronic procrastinator/underachiever.  The idea of that blog post wasn't to celebrate my flaws but rather identify them and connect with my audience to show that they’re not alone with these struggles. Never did I imply that I wasn't successful, if I did such thing I would be what Jamaicans call “ungrateful wretch”. What I stated though is that there’s more that can be done, especially in my academic pursuits; but, because of ‘self-doubt’ development is stunted.

I have come a far way where achievements are concerned; I graduated as valedictory in 1999 from the Effortville Basic School also collecting the award for best attendance. In grade nine, I was awarded by Mrs. J. Richards the Most enthusiastic student moving on to the tenth grade I ended up with four awards at the prize giving ceremony: Top performance in Food and Nutrition, outstanding achievement in Agricultural Science, Home Economics, Social studies and the follow year outstanding achievement is Mathematics, Social Studies, Food and Nutrition and Home Economics. During that same year in graduation I was award Joan L. Wint award for most disciplined student and outstanding performances in home economics and Information Technology. I am currently studying at Northern Caribbean University where I was awarded most outstanding sophomore. My greatest achievement though, is making it out of my teen years enrolled in a University and not with a child. I've served in leadership capacities and on several committees; I have achieved, but what I was saying is that there’s so much more to be done or that can be done. In other words there’s room for improvement, but because of emotional constrains such as self- doubt it has been a slow and monotonous process. 

We all can achieve more if we stop doubting ourselves. Do you think you’re at your optimum? Are you satisfied with who are, where you are? What’s stopping you? Lemme answer that YOURSELF, MYSELF/OURSELVES. I know for a fact that it’s not limited resources or support why we aren’t at our optimum; it’s the fact that we highly doubt ourselves.

I am not happy with where I am. Why am I telling you this? I wanna move forward, I wanna be better and I wanna see you climb this ladder of success with me!

Remember the greatest room; is the room for improvement. We can’t improve while doubting, bear in mind the following:

Believing in yourself is the first secret to success.