Dave Ramsey's "More than Enough"

I am just finishing up reading the Dave Ramsey Book, "More than Enough". Dave Ramsey is a speaker, radio show host and writer who helps people with financial peace. I encourage any of you who have not read or heard him to go to your library and check out any of his books NOW! I have learned so many valuable lessons from this book. At the end of each chapter, Dave Lists the "keys" to the more than enough mansion (term for financial peace). One that my husband and I were struggling with was:

14. Hope is lost when we belive failure is permanent and we lose perspective.

Latley it seems like we are doing sooo good, we are staying on budget, cutting down on things we dont need, starting a savings account...then something happens. Our car needs repair, our dog needs to go to the vet, some bill comes out of no where that needs a payment now...the list goes on. Its so easy to say this is just to hard, lets just go back to our old ways...but persistance is key. Failure is not permanent, we will not be in this situation forever and we just have to keep looking forward and see the light at the end of the road.

One of the chapters I just read talked about contentment. He says many people have the lack of contentment and how it can cause us to chase happiness. He goes on to explain the "I'll be happy when... syndrome" His son, who is in kindergarten believes he will be happy when he gets to the first grade because he will be in a grade with a number.. But when he finally gets to the first grade he sees these really cool dudes in the sixth grade. "I'll be happy when I get to the sixth grade . When he gets to the sixth grade he wants to go to middle school where he can have a locker. "I'll be happy when I get to middle school." In middle school his friends older brother comes home from highschool. In highschool you can date and drive a car. "I'll be happy when I get to highschool". In highschool that same older brother comes home from college and tells him about it. "The don't even care if you go to class in college."...he thinks "I'll be happy when I get to go to college and dont have to go to class." He finally gets to collge and is living off no doze and spagetti'o's. He thinks "I'll be happy when I get a real job, meet that special someone, get married, have 2.3 kids and a house with a white picked fence...I'll be happy then.." He gets out of college, gets married and with the stresses of family he starts to think "Those diapers need to be changed" he promises himself he'll be happy when the last one is potty trained. In a blink of an eye those kids are teenagers and he thinks "as soon as the last one leaves the house, then I will be happy." They leave and get married and then hes calling them everyday to know when they are going to make him into a grandpa so he can change those diapers again...."I'll be happy then."

makes you think huh? Happiness is like a bully in the schoolyard: He draws a line in the sand and dares you to cross it. When you cross the line he backs up and dares you to cross another line.

If you dont find happiness where you are, you will never find it.