*Good things come to those who wait*

In the art of living, we often find ourselves in a race, and this race is usually all about achievement. I must hurry and graduate, I must hurry and marry, have kids, etc. Why, why, why? What are we all rushing for? Are we in competition with other people or ourselves? I'd like to think it's both.

A hard core fact is: Most of the time when one rushes through major decisions, they end up selling themselves short. Think about it logically; if we always select/accept the first thing that is presented to us, then we have not given ourselves any other options.

One reason that the human race often rushes through things is because we live in an "instant" society; thus we have gained the "We want it, and we want it now!" mentality.

Let me prove to you how "instant" the world has become. Examples would be, the microwave, do-it-all-cell-phones and instant messaging, cosmetic transitions (no one wants to take the time to grow their hair out or lose weight the normal way anymore), and the list goes on, steroids in the food market, and more.

Keep in mind that truly the best things take time. It takes time for a seed to grow into a flower, for a baby to be born, for a wound to heal, and so on.

The best things come to those who wait. Do not be discouraged, hang in there and wait.

~The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but to the one that endures until the end~

Hey! Who wants to be a millionaire?

I'm quite sure that everyone would love to be a millionaire, or at least the majority of the human race would like to.

Anyhow, today I attended a wealth-building seminar on campus, and I must add that I did learn something. The provider of this workshop was the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The FDIC's initial goal for having wealth-building seminars on college campuses is to educate college students in the area of finances. The workshop was a brilliant idea in my opinion because we students specifically need to be in the "know" concerning finances.

Education loans etc. and simply trying to make ends meet could easily set a student up for a future of financial deficiencies and bad credit; and that was one of the primary topics of discussion. Hey, that reminds me: Would anyone like to pay off my debt? I am just kidding.

One of the best quotes that I heard in the seminar was spoken by the first guest speaker, and that was "It's not hard to become a millionaire." If one followed the advice that the FDIC gave, such as saving money, maintaining good credit, using budgeting tools and making smart investments, it could be much easier to become a millionaire.

However, in the meantime while waiting to make our millions, let us keep in mind that true wealth is salvation, good health, family, friends, love, peace and happiness.

Here is a free financial web site that the FDIC shared with everyone during the seminar: www.bankrate.com

I have already checked out the above site and done some financial calculations on it. It is amazing. I encourage you to check it out and I hope that you find the site helpful. Let us continue to be money smart.

~Budget Woes. Again?~

As you all may already know from the glimpse of my profile, I am currently in college. Well, of course I had a hot topic last year about the economy, and now this crisis has hit closer than I realized.

I attended the State of the University Address program yesterday for my school, and to hear what the university's president was saying about the budget slightly saddened me. He mentioned more budget cuts for the future and that leads me to question the longevity of the university's academic programs.

While I am concerned about the budget of my school, I still have hope that brighter financial days will return and the rest will be history. I did some research concerning the budget of other universities in Florida, only to find out that they are experiencing similar financial woes, if not the exact same.

My heart's desire is that every struggling university survives because education is freedom, and it is imperative that the gift of education keeps on giving. If circumstances became so terrible that the percentage of layoffs increased, there would not be enough educators on board to equip the next generation.

I would love it if my current university is still around for the next generations to come, so that my future children and grand children can have it in their option of educational institutions to attend.

~LOVE YOURSELF~

Happy Valentines Day to all, although I am two days late. I hope that your V-day was great, as mine was, in spite of my being single.

Single, dating, or married, it really does not matter when we focus on the fact that we should love and respect ourselves on a daily basis no matter what our status is; and that is the topic of this post tonight.

You may be thinking "What are you talking about Ranata?", well let me explain farther. Sometimes, specifically around Valentines day and birthdays etc, some individuals who do not have a significant other to celebrate with them tend to feel unloved. When they feel unloved, it causes them to feel unworthy of loving themselves.

The issue of feeling unworthy of celebration is only false play on the mind, and that is what gives depression the chance to kick in. I say, it is not worth it. Always remember how unique you are, what your purpose is and why you are important to the world. If you feel that you don't have a good purpose, find one.

Love yourself, understand yourself and try to comprehend and accept the unique things about you. Fall in love with who you are, because no one can be a better you than YOU!