You are the architect of your own life. Make it what you want.

Here's a quote from George Bernard Shaw: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."

When I was a kid I was severely abused. Physically, mentally and sexually. We were poorer than most people in town and 4 of us lived in a one br house with no running water. Those are the circumstances I was born into.

I didn't choose to be born into them and I sure as hell didn't like them. I couldn't wait until I got old enough to change them and change them I did. Yes, a lot of my upbringing still haunts me and depresses me but I have never let that hold me back.

4 different times I've decided I didn't like my circumstances and 4 different times I changed them to be something I liked better. I've started my life over with nothing a couple of times and the other two I started it over with a bit of money and then a larger chunk of money.

I've dated lots of girls from the ghetto and they all whine they can't get out or they can't be what they want. However none of them want to change their circumstances bad enough to do anything about them. They just want to feel oppressed and victimized and bitch about it.

They don't want to move, they don't want to change the people they hang out with, they don't want to work at McDonald's and they want to blame everyone and everything else for what they are and where they are. That's total bullshit. If you don't like your life, CHANGE IT!

Heh, they tell me I've got it made and don't believe me when I tell them what and where I came from. Sheesh, most of them had it and have it way better than I did yet because I've made some money they all think I was born with it and always had it.

They don't believe me when I tell them I've been homeless, they don't believe I was so broke I didn't eat for days at a time, they don't believe I picked up cigarette butts from the side of the road and smoked them. Why don't they believe me? The only thing I can think of is they believe you are stuck with what and where you were born and that it can't be changed.

They think working at McDonald's is beneath them. They think letting others take care of them or the govt take care of them is a good thing yet they bitch they don't like it. I have to much pride to let others take care of me, I have t much pride to ask others for a place to stay or food to eat. If I have to work at McDonald's to make a better life for myself I'm going to.

The job you do doesn't matter as long as you are taking care of yourself. If I had to work at a fast food place I'd save every cent I could. No drinking, no drugs, no buying things I can't afford, living as cheaply as possible until I can find something better.

The last time I decided I didn't like my circumstances I had my own business. We were about to sign a contract for nationwide distribution of our products when my ex wife went off the deep end. She had a fear of success and I had a fear of failure. I ended up giving her the company and leaving.

I had 1200 bucks, an old pickup and the clothes on my back. I worked at a crappy telemarketing job for a year and saved every cent I could. I lived in a dumpy three room apt and drove a 15 yr old chevy. I had nothing but a bed, cheap ass recliner, tv and microwave plus a few dishes.

I finally found a computer job I wanted but I'd already saved 3000 bucks from my working at the telemarketing job. 5 months later I had 5 thousand saved and went and paid cash for a PC at Wal-Mart. Then I taught myself how to build websites during my spare time. 6 months later I got laid off at my computer job but I didn't care as I was making more on the net than my job was paying me. That was 1996.

I've made quite a bit of money on the net, got married again and divorced again when she ran off with someone she met on the net 5 years later. She also left me with more than a couple of problems with the IRS, she stole 300 thousand and that left me with less than she had plus the IRS bill because she never made the tax deposits.

The net got saturated with people doing what I was doing so business went to hell. I either sold or gave away most of what I owned and moved to a different town. I still had enough cash to live on but not enough to do anything fancy or drive a BMW. Then it got worse and I started dating people I should have just left alone.

Once again I got tired of my circumstances and in February of this year I packed my Aztek with everything I wanted and drove off. I've spent the last months learning to do different things on the net and contemplating my life and what I believe. Things are getting better and I expect they will get to be the best they have ever been.

Why is that? Because I'm not afraid to pickup, move on and start over. At least this time I'm not starting as close to the bottom as I have before but that's because I learned to keep some start over emergency money stashed away.

I'm making new circumstances for myself because I didn't like the old ones. Anyone can do this but you have to be willing to work to do it. I won't say it's easy because it's not but I'm not going to accept handouts or sit and whine about my life. It's my life and I can make it what I want. So can you so go ahead and change yours to what you want it to be. It's a choice you have. Make your life better or stop whining about it.