financial abuse

Alright so... I'm feeling philosophical. bare with me.

If you think about it for a minute, there's one sin that almost the entire human race commits...every day.

Abuse....of everything.
resources. power. food. drugs and alcohol. other people...

In a way, its a natural thing, especially if you think of humans as animals. We share many characteristics of all other animals and we have the same essential needs: eat. survive. reproduce.

Animals do it too. A pack of wolves will fight and kill in fierce bloody territory disputes. A pod of dolphins will attack and rape wandering rouges. Baby birds will kill the smallest hatchling to compete for food. Wasps will destroy an entire colony of honeybees and eat the larvae. Humans pretty much do the same thing. We invade countries, steal their resources, lie, cheat and do whatever is necessary to "win the race," so to speak.

I don't really like to think of myself as part of this wild-animal picture I just painted and what gives me hope is the one thing that sets up apart from the wild and crazy animal kingdom: Our big huge noggin!

We're supposed to be smarter than dogs, dolphins, baby birds and wasps, right? We can think things out and weigh the consequences between right and wrong. We're supposed to have this great thing called CONSCIENCE, and if you watched Pinnochio as a kid, like you're supposed to, you'd know about this wondrous thing.

I try to listen to my conscience as often as possible...usually it's spot on. It's a nice way to guide myself to the right choices in life and when I do something wrong, I usually know what kind of trouble I'm getting into. Looking back on all my mistakes, I always knew I'd be setting myself up for a consequence of some sort.

So you see...your conscience is kind of like your own little personal psychic. If you listen well enough, it can kind of tell you about the future outcomes of your actions.

I applied this method of thinking to many aspects of my life. Three years ago, it led to my veganism. I absolutely couldn't continue supporting the meat and dairy industry after listening to the list of moral and physical consequences that come along with the consumption of animals.

It's why I try to ride my bike and take public transportation as much as possible.

And it's also what totally saved my behind when I was in serious financial trouble, not too long ago. I simplified everything and thought about all my spending habits as right or wrong choices. Thinking critically about my decisions, I was able to seriously cut my spending and get myself back on track. It's really important to think about your financial choices like this and constantly weigh the consequences of your monetary actions.

Should I buy that huge TV? How much money will I have left over to pay my bills and buy food?

Do I need to take out another loan? Is it the right time to take on another huge debt or can I figure out other ways to achieve my financial goals? Thinking things through will always help you find the right answer. Write a list and actually weigh the consequences on paper so you can see which path will produce the best results.

Even if you don't think you're making the wrong decisions, we might always find ourselves in a bind. Life gets random all the time but we do have resources to help counter those little wrenches that get tossed in the mix.

Sites like PaycheckATM.com and TitleandPayDayLoan.com are perfect examples of this kind of help.

Like any other loan, its important you think about what you're getting into before going through with it. Get your research done (by using sites like www.cfsa.net) and find out the right course of action for yourself.

Payday loans have a bad rep because so many people abuse them. Think about what you're going to do and how you're going to pay the loan back, make sure you have a plan and follow through with it. You'll be fine.

Apply that style of thinking to other areas of your life and it'll work wonders for you.