"Hope And Change!"

Our current president ran on a platform of "hope and change," it's a wonderful slogan and attracts people by design. But what is the path to "hope and change," we are so desperately searching for? It's a good idea to define what your goal is, so first let's examine the definition of hope!

Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life.[1] It is the "feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best" or the act of "look[ing] forward to with desire and reasonable confidence" or "feel[ing] that something desired may happen.

Or in short, confidence of a positive outcome. If we take that a step further, hope is the absence of fear. And what is the quickest path to overcoming your fears? Action! Personally confronting your demon. Has the government a role in you taking action to confront your fears? Not in my world! It all boils down to personal responsibility, only you can take the action required to relieve your fears.

When he speaks of change, the president's actions lead us to believe the government is responsible for behavior modification. One of his first acts was to raise the tax on tobacco in an effort to change a habit by punishing those who weren't complying to the government's idea of a healthy society. He threatens to tax sugar products to control the obesity epidemic our nation faces. We've heard him threaten to tax coal fired electric plants to the point of bankruptcy, all negative actions to modify America's behavior. Then there is this obsession he has with taxing the rich, apparently he's trying to modify their income earning by impacting their tax returns.

If you want something, (animal or human) to modify it's behavior, you get more results with honey than you do with vinegar, (Grandma told me that). Reinforcement and rewarding the behavior you seek, and ignoring the actions your not so fond of is the path to change. Is a wealthy person more likely to donate to charity if it lowers his tax bill, or less likely to be as generous if the government takes that income away to redistribute? Is your spouse more or less likely to put the cap back on the toothpaste if you complain endlessly, or reward the behavior when it's done?

If you want "hope and change" here is the secret. You'll supply hope by lowering fear if you change the government back to the original design. You know, limited. The change you seek will come when government takes it's hands off the free market, and those who take the risk facing their fears are allowed to prosper, free of government interference. "Hope and change" comes from the people, not the government...

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Mentoring
Community
Leadership