Are You Proud of Yourself?

The other day I asked a little boy what he wanted to be when he grows up. He said, "I want to be, um, proud of myself." What a great, nontoxic way to think!

Being proud of what you do is the most important thing. I know many people who are not. There are people who hate their jobs, and people who like their jobs, but don't have time for anything else.

Jobs and time. There needs to be a balance. If you have a job you like and have time for other important things, you can truly be proud of yourself. But I know money has to factor in here, too. Having a job that isn't too time-consuming and pays enough money would be the ideal, nontoxic way to live.

Let's look at the phase *enough money*. When I first started out, a child asked me how much money I make. Without hesitation, I said, "Enough." The child replied, "Oh, my dad doesn't make enough." Now, I knew this man made much more money than I did. But I also knew I had much more free time than he did.

But things changed. I need bigger things, which bring bigger bills. However, I value my time over everything else. What to do? I researched how I could make some extra money doing something else I am proud of -writing- and do it on my own schedule.

Here I am, hoping to make the world a more nontoxic place in the process. Of this, I am proud.