"Money, that's what I want. Lot's of money... Joe's money."

Including my own person in this next observation, I feel that our, my, this generation (for the sake of this post, anyone born after 1980) is the “Gimme Gimme Nation.” There is a general sense of malaise, a lack of work ethic, and absence of dedication. Most people walk about with an, “I am owed this” attitude that frankly, they don’t deserve. I would wager a hefty bet that many of us, including a good deal of my high school friends and myself, were handed our first car. It may have been previously loved, but we were still handed the keys with fairly free range as to what we wanted to do with it. We found our first jobs through friend or familial connections and if we were lucky they were paid “under the table. “ We all had new clothes, accessories and “toys” all year long. Most of us went to the college of our choosing, regardless of price tag. A great deal of us had help with our debt or are now having trouble learning to accurately and responsibly manage our money (or lack there of).

I find most people my age walk around pissed off and annoyed because for the first time in our lives someone is telling us, “no.” There is no longer free money to be handed out to people. I, myself, have had moments where I wanted to throw a good old fashioned, on the ground, three-year-old fit because a bank did not like my credit score and would not grant me a loan. Why did I want a loan? To help pay off a credit card I had maxed out spending money I did not have, on things I had to have “right now!”

Especially in this economic crisis, we are forced to tighten our bootstraps and practice moderation. I have never known a group of people who more easily get what they want, when they want it – which, I may point out, is part of the reason America is in the proverbial economic toilet. For lack of a better word, I think most of us live in excess. If we remember how our grandparents lived, or even our parents, we would notice that they lived, more or less, on a need not want theory of existence.

So, here is my thought. I am not arguing that we should revert to some idyllic existence; that will not happen. But I do think we should start living lives independent of money; cut out the unnecessary clutter. This sounds easy, I know, but generally social events revolve around an occasion where some amount of money is spent. Let's also not forget that wonderful high that one gets after spending a good chunk of money, even if you don’t have that money to spend. So easily you can swipe that trusty Visa (I hear it’s everywhere you want to be) and you are on your way to whatever Golden Ticket it is that you were pining away for. Money is, for all intents and purposes, an addiction. I say, let’s get back to walks outside, enjoying the outdoors, watching a sunset, taking pleasures in smaller things. Remember that you have to work for what you want and more importantly you have to earn the life that you desire. You are not owed any particular lifestyle but the one you make, so dig in and make it happen.