I have been thinking a lot lately about the differences between Monopoly Money and Real Money.

You see, I think of “investing” in the markets like this: First you give a broker or some other financial institution your Real Money to be “invested” in their markets. But a funny thing happens once they are in possession of your Real Money. It suddenly becomes Monopoly Money.

As the markets have tanked over the last few years, many of us heard from our brokers, “It’s not a loss till you want to withdraw the money.” Translation: Your Real Money doesn’t exist anymore. You only have Monopoly Money now.

Many have asked the question,” Where did all that money go that was lost?” Well, the truth is that it never existed. Once it was “invested” it became Monopoly Money.

So though I think I have suffered a great loss of my portfolio value, the truth is it was never REALLY worth a dime in Real Money. The only Real Money is what I have entrusted to my local bank in Money Market Accounts and CD’s which I can actually cash out and walk away with Real Money in my pocket. Real Money I can use to pay my bills or take a vacation.

So all of us who “invested” in the markets thinking we were going to be able to retire with Real Money have now discovered that it was never real in the first place. I myself have “lost” close to all my play money and will now begin to think in terms of Real Money so I can hopefully have enough of the Real Thing for my old age.

So before I “invest” again I will remember the lessons I have learned (twice now!!!) and keep what little bit of Real Money I have left where it will stay Real Money and not become Monopoly Money.

If this sounds like someplace or someone you know, please feel free to share it.

So there I stood in front of this makeup counter in the mall staring blankly at the salesperson as she asks if I need any help. Like a deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming semi, I say ”Yes” not knowing what in this world I am saying yes to. I look at the counter covered with bottles and jars of exotic elixirs that promise me eternal youth or maybe just eternally youthful skin. All I need to achieve this eternal bliss is to purchase a few jars and bottles at what appears at first glance to be priced just right for eternal youthfulness.

As the clerk begins explaining all the “products” I will need for this transformation I realize that eternity comes with a steep price tag…$60, $70, $80 a bottle. Of course you need lots of different bottles as each promises its own special miracle.

First there is the all important cleanser which the saleslady assures me removes every molecule of dirt and bacteria from your skin. Foolish person that I was to assume plain soap would do the same thing. All these years I thought I was doing well to wash my face once a day with that bacteria-infested cloth and some “plain soap”. How could I have been so foolish? How could I have been so unkind to my fragile facial skin???

Next we apply the toner. Now up until this moment I never in all my 60+ years ever considered using a toner (thought that was only for copy machines!!!). In fact, I didn’t even know there was such a product or even what it does for my skin. “Oh, it’s VERY important in the overall skin care program” the lady assures me. “OK” I say, “add that in too then.”

Then out come all the true elixirs…the magical creams, ointments and lotions. “First we apply the fruit acid to your skin” she says. “Wait!!” I think. “Fruit ACID!!! Didn’t we just learn that our skin is fragile. And now we are going to apply ACID to it!!! What’s wrong with this picture?”

“This is ONLY $80.00 a bottle if you get the large size” she says. “Do I really NEED the large size?” I wonder silently. “Is my skin so bad that I have to apply that much ACID?” But I hear myself say “ok, add that in too.” Cha ching Cha ching….

“Now” the counterperson says” we are going to apply a product to tighten your skin.” I have visions that my face has become so lax that it might just slide off and merge with my neck. Of course we must tighten my skin. How can I not? I want the eternal youth she keeps promising. “That will be $70.00.”

“For the large bottle?” I ask. “Of course” she assures me. But when I look at the “large” bottle all I see is a 3 oz. container with 1 oz. of goop in it. “That’s the large size” I lament. “Yes” says the saleslady. “It’s your best value for the money.” I gasp, but again I hear myself say “Ok, add that in too” as she adds yet another magic potion to the pile.

“Now we need something to soften your skin.” “Wait a minute didn’t we just try to tighten it? And now we want to soften it! Doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron or am I just a moron for believing this woman. As she applies the sweet-smelling ointment to my face I soften and agree to purchase yet another “product” for the elusive eternal look.

“We can’t leave out the cream for around your eyes” she says. “It will take away those dark circles and wrinkles around your aging eyes.” (Ok, she didn’t use the word aging but I’m sure she meant to say it….)

“The next product is good for your lips. It will keep that lipstick we are going to sell you from running out of bounds.” Ok, she didn’t say that either but that’s what she meant….

Finally we get to the “foundation”. Now I ask myself, what was all that other stuff if not a foundation to build upon. But, I learned, the foundation is yet another building block needed “to complete the look” as the woman said. There were 40 different shades of the same product to choose from. Who knew there were so many shades of brown!!! My helpful saleslady chose Ivory Beige for my skin tone. “It compliments your skin and covers any blemishes” is how she put it. How could I have any blemishes after putting on all those magical elixirs? Once again I heard this sound coming out of my mouth, “Ok, add that to my collection.”

“Now we will get to the important stuff.” Like all those other products weren’t important!!!!

“First we will do your eyes”. Oh no. The part I was dreading the most…my eyes. There was eye shadow, eyelash color, mascara, and god only knows what else just to “bring out my beautiful eyes”. At the rate I was going it was going to cost me about the same as having my eyes removed by a surgeon!!! In the end, my eyes felt like they weighed 10 lbs but the lady assured me they were gorgeous….I, of course, couldn’t see a darn thing now….

After that she applied, rouge, lipstick, lip gloss, and powder. All of which was added to my growing collection of products.

“There” she said, standing back and looking at me intently. “You look beautiful. See how easy that was!! I know you won’t have a bit of trouble doing all this yourself.”

I laughed hysterically on the inside but oddly found my head nodding in agreement with her assessment.

As I prepared to pay for all this, I heard the saleslady say to me “You do have all the products you need for your nighttime skin care, don’t you?” Nighttime skin care….What is that? Don’t I just use that cleanser and toner again. Foolish me!!!! Oh no. Now I learn I need even more products for my nighttime skin…like that’s a different skin than my daytime skin. There’s the Advanced Nighttime Repair complex and the Ultra Lift Extreme cream necessary for my skin so it won’t fall back into its original shape.

“OK, add those in too.”

“You have a mask?” she asked. “A mask?” I questioned..

“I do have that mask from last Halloween but why would I need that?”

“No, No” said the sales associate. “You must use a mask once or twice a week (along with the gentle exfoliating cream) to remove all the dead skin cells from your face.” How could there possibly be any cells left on my face, much less dead ones!!! Didn’t we already remove those with all those other products? Silly me!!!

But, I must admit, I did like the idea of a product you only used once or twice a week instead of every morning and night. So of course I said “Ok, add that in too.”

“Now the grand total for all this eternal youth comes to….” (Well, she didn’t exactly put it that way but that’s what I heard)….only $999.99.” Eternal Youth for a mere $1000.00. What a bargain!!!!

No one noticed that it was missing. No one probably even noticed it was there for 10 years. And no one really cared but me. After all it was MY dream not anyone else’s.

As if to compound my sadness, the one person that I thought shared my dream has not noticed that the drawing is no longer there.

There will be no funeral or condolences for my dream. No one will send a card of sympathy or flowers. The drawing and the dream will just quietly slide into the bottom drawer in the company of some old love letters and scraps of paper I once considered important enough to keep.

This was Bruce Lee’s philosophy.

He also said that one should take all procedures and try
them out and keep what worked experientially and throw
out what did not work.

He developed his own system that was Beyond Technique.

His system was about adapting in the moment to
his opponent.

It was called, “Jeet Kune Do” the way of the
intercepting fist.

The problem with doing certain procedures or techniques
is that it locks you into a particular view of reality
or puts you in a box.

And keeps you from seeing all the possibilities.

It is like when you learn a few martial arts moves in
your class and then you go out and get into a street fight
and use the moves you learned and you get your ass kicked.

And you say what happened?

What happened is that you used what you learned in the
reality of class and did not adapt to what was happening
in the different reality of the street fight.

Beyond the Level of form that is when you break everything
down that you see with your eyes below the level of the atom,
there is nothing, or what is called, The Zero Point Field.

However, Quantum Scientists are finding that this Zero Point
Field contains every possibility and the most powerful energy
of the infinite or infinite possibility.

This is what Yoda tells Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.
” Luke the Power of the Force is everywhere in everything.

Trust the Power of the Force Luke.”

Every assignment. Every conversation. Every meal.

Every morning, afternoon and evening. And never, ever, ever look back.

Reframe every thought, word, and deed

from the perspective of the person you’ve always dreamed you’d be,

as if your life was already as you’ve always dreamed it would be.

Die to yesterday’s illusions and be reborn to the truth of your vision.
]]> http://foxyfit.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/live-your-dreams-now/feed/ 4 foxyfit http://foxyfit.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/life/ http://foxyfit.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/life/#comments Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:49:30 +0000 foxyfit http://foxyfit.wordpress.com/?p=33 ]]> Life is not what you see, but what you’ve projected. It’s not what you’ve felt, but what you’ve decided. It’s not what you’ve experienced, but how you’ve remembered it. It’s not what you’ve forged, but what you’ve allowed. It’s not who’s appeared, but who you’ve summoned. And it’s not where you’ve been, but where you’re going.