"Riches are for Spending"

So said Francis Bacon many years ago. It's a mantra that the American people have always taken to heart, and now that so many of us are cautiously putting our pennies aside instead, the economy struggles to get back on its feet.

The Curse of Procrastination

Dion Boucicault wrote, "Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them." If that isn't an incentive to be productive, I don't know what is!

Anticipation

As we begin to plan our summer vacation, I am reminded of the line from Silas Marner: "Nothing is so good as it seems beforehand." Since we are scheduling a beach getaway - and so good weather will be key - I am slightly fearful that the long-awaited trip might have issues.

Mind Control

Milton wrote, "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." In other words, through the power of positive thinking, you can profoundly change your own experience.

Money is only a tool...

Ayn Rand wrote, "Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver." I agree with her. For me, the most important thing about having financial resources available to you is that it allows you to have choices in all kinds of situations -- choices of where to live, how to spend your time, etc.