Your financial future is in your hands

Written 8th January 2025

I'm a little sad about the fact I'm never going to know what happens to the human race. What other great, amazing things we will invent or build or do in the future.

I probably won't even be around when Prince George becomes King. And the world will just keep turning without me. Or you. Or anyone else on the planet.

The world has changed so much in the last 300 years, electricity, space travel, computers, the Internet, farming and supermarkets. We are so lucky to be living now. Everything you could ever want or need is readily available and life is easy in the western world.  Washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, convenience food, heat and light at the flick of a switch, 24hour shopping, cars, medicine, replacement body parts when ours start to deteriorate, flights to anywhere you want to get to, amazing quality pictures and sounds, more information available than we could ever digest.

But I worry for the future of our species.

I recorded a video for my business the other day. 2 minutes and 41 seconds long. I sent it to a friend who is a multimedia producer.  I was told 'It's too long, no one will watch it to the end, the attention span of people these days is 30-45 seconds'.

If you think smart phones have only been around for 20 or so years, and already we are so bombarded with information we need more information in quick succession and quickly get bored. What will happen to us? There is no monitoring of the information people are being fed. Unless you pay to go ad free normally you are subjected to hours of advertising day in day out. Even an hour long TV show can have 4 ad breaks these days. Usually around 5 minutes each break. 

The world is about making money.  People follow celebrities more than they do Nobel prize winners. Drama and gossip are more coveted than good news. 'Fred and Hilda just celebrated 50 years of married bliss'... who cares?, we want to know what lipstick so-in-so wore to the Oscars, or what happens to Fanny in next weeks episode of Corrie, or what the person on 'I'm A Celebrity' got paid. 

I'm not really sure of my point.

I saw a young man walking down the road the other day in the pouring rain. He still had his phone out and looked like he was reading it or watching it. And I have first hand experience of when my son once did something that warranted me confiscating his phone for a week. He was beside himself. Almost suicidal. He could not cope without it. He didn't know how to amuse himself or what to do. His withdrawal was sad to watch and severe suffering to him.

When was the last time you went a whole day without looking at your phone?

How will all these youngsters evolve throughout their life? Constantly fed all manner of information and drip fed brands and trends by big powerful companies in an effort to make them spend their money?

Will they all go blind from looking at a small screen all the time. Have no long sighted vision? Longer necks with chins that sit on their chest? Stronger fingertips? Will they all get dementia because of all the coffee and caffeine drinks they consume? Will everyone be so anxious and depressed because of the pressure the media is putting on them to be, look, have and the FOMO.  Will they all have ADHD and autism because well, as my friends 21year old said to me a while ago 'I cant wait to go to the doctors and get my ADHD diagnosis and get some meds'. I kid you not. And she is definitely not ADHD. In my day, she'd have just been seen as a bit loud.

Try to stop yourself getting swept away by the buzzwords and hype and marketing. Try to be content with less and look for the best in your life with what you have. Still strive for satisfaction in your work, educate your mind with facts and knowledge to enhance your soul. Take care of your body. Enjoy your time outside in nature. Be grateful for all the accomplishments that humans have made to make our lives easier today than ever in history and stop feeling what you have is not enough. You are wonderful and amazing. You are whole without everything you think you should have to raise your self esteem. Accept whatever happened in your past is done and make the most of your future. Be happy. Be kind. Be thankful. No amount of better cars, or trendier shoes or newer phone will make you feel whole and worthy and happy. Well, only temporarily. You'll soon need another hit of dopamine from spending again. And you'll be continually chasing the rush. Instead chase the sun. Be grateful for what you have and each new day, for how easy our lives are compared to all our ancestors. You don't have to look at the bling and glitz of everything on tv, the movies, the billboards, the newspaper, the social media, the junk mail, the shop windows, the Internet, the car showrooms. Everything you see is designed to make you feel good and to part with your money. Don't believe it all. You don't need it all. You can be happy with less. More content and less stressed being grateful for what you have.