From grasshopper to ant

In the parable of the ant and the grasshopper, the ant stocked up on supplies for winter while the grasshopper played and seized the day. Much like the grasshopper, we sacrifice our time and money for entertainment and frivolities. We have achieved that luxury as a society, and it has captivated our attention, our wallets, and our behavior. No one seems to add value to maintaining health or preparing for hard times. It is proven that living healthy will lower your medical bills, and having financial backup will save you in job loss or emergencies.
However, each year the government publishes a report that fewer people are prepared for retirement than last time. If you are not prepared for retirement, then you probably do not have any emergency funds. The difficulty of this is many people live paycheck to paycheck, and what money that is available, is often insignificant and would not last very long anyway, but something is better than nothing.
Many have seen shows about preparing for dooms day or extreme prepers. While some of these people seem crazy, they do have a good idea. Buying seeds is relatively inexpensive, and having your own source of food is a great way to save money. Just because you can’t own a farm is not a good reason to say you can’t grow your own food. People can grow all sorts of vegetables in small apartments. Some aquaponic systems use a fish tank or a plastic tub to grow food and they conserve water very well! Also, consider vertical gardening and live in the garden, so to speak.
There is so much more that we, as a society, have forgotten, but it can be reclaimed. Stake your claim on living a life well prepared, and take the stress out of some of the “what if” scenarios.

How to find your dream job and make money

One thing that the everyone knows, is that making money is essential to living comfortably. There is no coincidence that it is also known as “making a living.” Making loads of cash, through legitimate means or illegally, is not always equatable to happiness.
During an interview, I was once asked if I would do the job if it meant waking up at 3am on my day off to come in. Of course I wouldn’t! I didn’t like the job that much, and I really was in it only for the money. He rephrased the question for me and asked what I wouldn’t mind doing for free. I had never thought about that, and over the course of a few days I really began to think about those questions.
I thought about the hobbies I have and the things I already do that could make money. Instantly I realized all the missed opportunities and felt stupid that I had chosen otherwise. I could have been on a path to a successfully career before I graduated highschool, but I had to learn that 10 years later.
I made the mistake of listening to what others thought I should do, and was even talked out of my passion by my own mother shortly after she recommended it to me. Now I am playing catch up. I need to practice rudimentary skills and regain what I abandoned. The things I was slowly learning then, I have to re-learn now.
There is hope, but it will be a lesson for everyone to not follow your dream, but do the thing you already do naturally. Your dreams are sometimes not what they seem, and what you really like doing is often so obvious that you never consider it.