Increasing Your Odds

Increasing Your Odds—One penny at a Time

“If time be of all things most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality, since lost time is never found again.” –Benjamin Franklin

prod·i·gal·i·ty
Extravagant wastefulness.
Profuse generosity.
Extreme abundance; lavishness.

A life without direction is one full of prodigality. You can have all of the good intentions in the world, but without goals or plans, you will simply be treading water. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can gain footing and make progress.

At one point or another, we realize that action is needed. The first piece of any action is to have a goal in mind. Why not write it down along with the steps you need to take in order to get there?

I realized at a young age that I didn’t want to work forever. I decided that I should retire early and live. Live. However, I treaded water for 4 years (what prodigality!). I didn’t know how I was going to realize this goal. So finally, I began to put it down in writing. From there, I began to put the pieces together—the steps that I would need to take in order to retire while I was young enough to enjoy it.

Since I have done this, life feels more focused, more fulfilling. I can track my progress, look ahead to where I am going, and look back to where I have been. I know that I will simply put my foot on that next step to proceed, and that I will reach the top of those stairs if I continue.


“This is the only chance you will ever have on earth with this exciting adventure called life. So why not plan it, and try to live it richly, as happily as possible.” –Dale Carnegie