I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

Fear and regret are BS.

I had a thought on the way to work this morning.

The way things are going, unless we seriously change a lot about our current lifestyle—I’m talking likely very painful cutbacks—I’m going to be 50 by the time we’re “debt free”. (Not counting mortgage and student loan debt. Don’t get me started.)

Which means it’s unlikely either of us will get to retire in the classic, Baby Boomer sense of the word. Unless we leave the country or move into a van down by the river or something, we’re going to have to work until we can’t physically work anymore.

The thought of facing homelessness at 70 is, frankly, terrifying.

But fear and regret are BS.

Fear is letting things that have not happened—or might never happen—affect our decisions.

Regret is letting things that have already happened—and can’t be changed—do likewise.

Thoughts > Words > Actions > Habit > Character > Destiny.

This might just be one of my greatest, personal challenges. And while I’m a little uncomfortable sharing this sort of thing, I also know I’m not alone in this challenge.

I could let fear and regret turn my thoughts pessimistic. It doesn’t matter what I try—I’m screwed.

I could let fear lead me to anger, suffering, and The Dark Side.

And believe me, it would be VERY easy to do that.

But I can’t. I have to live in the now. I have to see today as an opportunity to change course, even if that means I spend the entire day pushing as hard as I can to move the needle a fraction of an inch.

Time is running out, sure. But time is ALWAYS running out.

We gotta simplify. We gotta reduce, reuse, and recycle.

We gotta make the little sacrifices today that save us from big sacrifices later in life.

And we can never forget that we can do something about it today.

I’m gonna do something about it today.

I don’t know what, but I’m gonna.

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up.