After all the parties subside and President Obama (wow it’s cool typing that !) and his cabinet get to work repairing what is left of our country’s respect and it’s economy, you have to wonder just how far the average American is willing to go to do their part to get the country back on track again ?

Let’s face it, we all mean good, but when it comes to sacrifice, we haven’t truly had to roll our sleeves up as a nation and sacrifice since WWII.  Women worked in factories while husbands manned the front lines in Europe, and the South Pacific.  We rationed food, gasoline , and all the materials needed to support and supply the troops with tires, uniforms, battle gear and parachutes.

Surely we are not called to do any of that in today’s day and age, but  will Americans really begin to act responsibly, or are we just waiting for the next cycle of economic energy to recharge our credit rating to go on another spending spree with money that we don’t have?  Again.

Being a productive member of society is more than just working a job, it also means what can you do, or have you done to make society better, even if it’s just your own neighborhood, place of work, being supportive of a family member in their endeavors, or offering a hand up to a friend that needs it.

Productive members of society don’t cause a drain on resources because of irresponsibility or selfishness.

We sometimes get so caught up in the sound of our own voice that we don’t realize how the slightest of actions that mean nothing to us, may be the difference in giving someone else just the lift that they need or the drive to make it one more day.  Many times just a kind word to a stranger may mean the difference in how he treats those he comes across for the rest of the day, or that extra $5 that you didn’t give a waitress because you couldn’t be bothered to get change, may be the difference in her paying her overdue electric bill for her family.

If all of us could just make a conscious effort in out everyday lives not to be selfish, not to be so self involved, and to truly realize that  if a neighbor has a problem, then the neighborhood has a problem, and those little insignificant efforts will go a long way into shaping the society that we need to be, and the benefit to all of us will be unmeasurable both morally and financially.

I have come up with a personal list of things that I will make a serious effort to do in my everyday life.  Some should be second nature, others will take a commitment, but we can’t continue to live as if we are here alone, and our actions don’t affect others.

1. I promise to only buy what I can afford, not what I can get credit for.
2. I promise to only take what I need, and not what I can carry.
3. I promise to do something nice for a stranger once a week (even if it means just holding a door, or helping with a few bags)
4. I promise to be the best that I can be at my job first, before complaining about it, and offer solutions to my concerns.
5. I promise to have a dialog with creditors, instead of ignoring them.
6. I promise to either tip service workers accordingly, or stay home and do it myself.
7. I promise to be responsible for what my children do, and to do my best to give them survival skills for the real world, not just my world.
8. I promise not to look for the easy way to get ahead at someone else’s expense, ie: frivolous lawsuits, get rich quick schemes, passing the buck.
9. I promise to work hard for what I want, and I realize that no one in this world owes me anything, nor is anyone responsible for giving it to me.
10. I promise that at least once this year, I will do something to help out in my community, help someone less fortunate than me or help a veteran or the family of a veteran.

Most of you will just go on with life everyday and sit back and wait to see what the Government is going to do for you, (Posting Kennedy’s famous line here would a be a bit too cliche’) but for the rest of you, you do have the power to make things better for yourself, for your country, and most of all, we all have the power to make a difference in someones life.

Congratulations to President Obama, Vice President Biden and to all of us for the largest turn out of our Democratic process in years.

Now let’s get to work !

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