A bad day at work is better than a good day in hell. – Scott Johnson

Over the years, this country’s economy has always drifted in the way of the money. Our culture thrives on it not merely because of the generation of wealth, large and small, but rather, the romanticism behind the lifestyle that comes with hard work and earning a living. Unfortunately, as history has shown, the overblown portions of these choices have almost always ended in the inevitable downturn of the economy and the ripple effect throughout all levels of the workforce itself.

The 80’s and into the 90’s were the years of excess for most people over 40. It was about making your mark on the moment, living beyond what excess and money would allow – and the aftermath is still being felt today. There are a lot of people who, when they were in their 20’s, had kids that just simply cannot afford to send them to the college of their dreams. The good news that there are so many opportunities today for young adults who are eager to both work and be an integral part of the educational system, while staying in that grounded aspect of the workforce, it is refreshing.

The hard reality that follows into and out of today’s era of prosperity, be it ever so small, is that the days of the single income family are long gone. To make it today, be prepared for some sort of retirement and somehow prepare to at least help your kids go to college, mean that paying attention to health issues while you’re still young are more important than ever.

So the message here is – celebrate the American labor movement – honor the contributions that we ourselves, along with our predecessors, brought to this economy. Just don’t forget to keep yourself healthy, grounded and focused – our children, our future – depends on it. So does theirs. #GMK