Tax Day

Today I would like to celebrate a few things in light of it being the day ( officially ) that all of our taxes are due. It’s a day where lots of people like to gripe and moan about how much they pay in taxes. I would like to offer some counterpoints. They are true for me, and I hope they are true for you.

  1. We live in a pretty cool place – In spite of all of our warts as a country ( and there are many ), there is not another place I would rather live. America has its set of challenges right now, and the rough patches are surely not over from our last economic dip. I read an article yesterday that predicted by the year 2035, China would eclipse the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. Maybe that will happen, maybe it won’t. The sheer force of numbers seems to indicate that it probably will. That just makes them that much bigger of a customer for the innovation that happens here in the U.S. Either way, I love living here. Our tax rates put us middle of the pack with the rest of developed nations ( for now ), but look at how much more we have. Not bad for a 240 year old bucket of bolts.
  2. I have a great family – There is not a day that goes by that I am not extremely grateful for the family I am surrounded by. I married a tremendous girl almost 16 years ago, we have kids that I can’t imagine living without, and we are all healthy. In addition, my siblings and parents remain some of the closest people in my life. I have tremendous respect and love for each of them.
  3. I get to do what I love – I don’t mean ( necessarily ) the work that I do each day, though that is certainly a part of it. It goes well beyond work. I have the opportunity each winter to coach a great group of kids and teach a game I love, I am involved with a couple of organizations doing amazing things, and I get to participate with them in changing people’s lives for the better. And, I get paid to invent new stuff to sell. It’s a pretty satisfying way to spend my days. I am always looking to get better, and do more, but when I slow it down for a minute, its really alright.
These are simple things ( you may say ), but I think every now and then its really useful to think about what is good in your life. We have Thanksgiving for that here in the U.S., but I thought that perhaps Tax Day was just as good a time to think about it as any.

 

If these things are not true for you, is there something you can do to change it? If they are, or you have other things to add to the list, I would love to hear them.
I am prepping for a really neat upcoming segment on my ‘Education Is Horked’ series. I hope to have more details in the next week or so. Until then, thanks for reading and spreading the word about the series.