What's it all about

It takes a certain amount of effort to get through life no matter how it’s done.  People trying to bilk the system put that effort into scamming and ripping people off.  People resigned to the system put it into time worn ways that have been proven to work.  Both probably work just as hard as the other and most of the time the latter do better, which is one good reason for doing it the “right” way.

That being said, I am discovering that much of the information out there is skewed because it is really not based on scientific data at all.  It is based on the marketing schemes of people promoting some particular thing.

Almost any idea can be presented in words that prove whatever it is you want to prove.  It’s a game for high school debate teams, so imagine how good at it “professionals” are.  I hear intelligent people eagerly believing everything they read or hear as long as someone says a doctor recommended it, or it has been proven to work.  Pyramid scams work -- for the person who starts them. 

So how do I know what really works?  At my age experience goes a long way.  If it works, it is true.  Most things are not life or death decisions.  They have a little leeway so I can try them out and see if they work for me, because the sad truth is that things don’t work the same way for everyone, for a lot of different reasons. 

I keep track of things I have doubts about.  A note on a calendar and a picture with my digital camera tells me if my skin looks better after a certain number of weeks.  The scale tells me if I’m losing weight.  Blood tests tell me if I am eating right, or if my medicine is doing what it is supposed to.  Most things can be measured and if I don’t lie to myself I am my own best source of information.

Common sense helps too.  Read labels, read articles by sources who are not selling something, talk to people.  But beware.  Sally might have luminous skin, but not because she drinks booboo tea.  It’s the arsenic in her sugar that’s doing it – and doing her in.

If it sounds too good to be true, I can almost bet that it is.  On the other hand, I have discovered most things aren’t as hard as they seem before I get started. 

Intelligence is only part of the package.  An awful lot of smart people are total failures just like not so smart people.  It seems that attention to details, patience and perseverance are the real paving stones on the road to success.