Are you better off?

You know it’s election season when you hear the tried and true saying, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

It’s back and when I heard it yesterday, I paused for a moment and reflected.

It has been a wild four years. I’ll admit that. And I’ll tell  you in a minute if I am or am not better off but let me say this: The President of the United States — whether is it is George W. Bush or Barack Obama — have very little to do with my  success or failure.

Now, before you start arguing with me, I understand the President could press the nuclear button. That would have an impact on my life in about 15 minutes. And I understand the President (and Congress) can take actions that screw up the economy.  But my point is this: I don’t wake up with President Obama (or Bush or Clinton or Reagan or Bush or Carter or Roosevelt) sitting on my chest keeping me from getting out of bed in the morning and working hard. That’s up to me. Because my success is largely determined by the choices I make on a daily basis. And how I react to the situation I’m thrust into.

I work harder than I did four years ago and my career has changed considerably. Sure, I miss my old life sometimes. And I would not have asked for some of the things that have happened to me or my family.  But then again, if those changes hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have discovered new talents and enjoyed better successes.  Sometimes I have succeeded. Sometimes I failed.  But I don’t blame anyone else for my situation.  That rests solely on the face I see when I shave in the morning.  I refuse to blame someone else for my problems.

So am I better off than I was four years ago? The honest answer is yes. And it’s because I now realize that my chances of success come from my friends, faith, family and from within, not from some person in office.