Yertle the Turtle

So many people think they are powerless. Life just happens to them and they are pushed along in the current of a river that's too strong to escape. Taken under by a rush of water, they feel like they're always trying to find their footing, to get enough air.  They are peons in someone else's major drama.

Too bad. And NOT TRUE.

We each have the ability to create a life that works for us. When we feel helpless and incapable of changing our circumstances, we're letting Yertle have the last say.

Yertle the Turtle likes his pond and he rules it well, at first. But power corrupts, and Yertle's desire to rise higher and higher makes him build his throne up, up, up, on the backs of his fellow turtles.

People see this as a story about tyranny and social justice. I like to look at it as a story about how one guy – the turtle on the bottom, a fellow named Mack – decides to take control and change his life. Tired of being squashed into the mud by Yertle's obsessions, the little Atlas shrugs. Actually, Mack burps.

That plain little turtle whose name was just Mack,

Decided he'd taken enough. And he had.

And that plain little lad got a bit mad.

And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing.

He burped! And his burp shook the throne of the king!

Like the little turtle on the bottom of the stack, you have the option of staying in the game and just being a stepping stone to someone else's dream-come-true, or shaking off the yoke of complacency and creating a new reality for yourself.

So often just going with the flow seems so much easier. And for all the folks who don't like to cause waves, just sucking it up feels like the safe way to live life. But safe isn't always best. And sometimes getting a little mad is a good thing if it creates the motivation for you to change what you don't like about your life.

Not everyone is cut out to be a king. Not everyone wants to be a king. But not being a king doesn't mean you have to be someone else's pawn. You can be king of your own world, master of your own future.

If you hate your job, hate your husband or wife, hate your life, then change it. Get a little mad. Figure out what you do want and then figure out how to get there. There are no extra points for being long-suffering or a martyr. Doormats get stepped on. If you want to have a different life, you must do something different. Go ahead, burp!

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I'd like to add a new section to the website next year. In it, I'd like to feature 5 people as they journey through their financial lives. If you'd like to share you journey and you fit into one of the following categories, please send me a sample of your writing, and let me know if you're prepared to commit to writing one blog per week for six months. I'll be judging based on the samples I get, so make sure you're on topic, witty and an interesting read. Here are the categories I'm looking for:

A student who is still in school
A stay-at-home mom or dad who is tasked with managing the family's finances
A single person who is trying to keep work and life in balance, while achieving a specific goal
A working mom or dad who is part of a double-income family with kids
A body who is about to retire and is getting ready to make the transition

This isn't a paid gig. (I maintain this website as a labour of love… my give-back.) You're doing this to a) establish yourself as a writer, b) share your experiences with others, or c) get some feedback from the folks here. If you're interested, please send your contact info along with your sample to getgvo@gmail.com with the word WRITER in the subject line. Once I've short-listed potential writers, I'll give you a call to chat, so include your phone number and email address in your contact info please.

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