I’m a cup-half-full kind of guy. Some people aren’t, and that’s okay, but I prefer to go through life with a smile on my face and the wind in my hair. I prefer to hang out with people with the can-do attitude, and who describe the world as “magical.” Given our current economic state, and the overall doom and gloom we’ve all become accustomed to lately, that is not always easy. President Obama promises a future of peace and prosperity, and I’m certainly going to do my part to help get there, because the truth of the matter is, we are responsible for making things better. What do I propose? Well, it’s not going to be what most people would think.

You see, as a glass half-full guy, I’m looking at the situation in our country, and for that matter the world, in a slightly different light. With unemployment numbers climbing and people in dire straights, why not think outside the box? If you have to find a new job, and there’s nothing available that pays well, you might as well be having fun doing a job you love.

Or one that pays you back. If you take a job at a parts store, and get a 20 percent discount on parts, your take-home pay just went up. This logic may not work on your wife, think about how cheap that cam and lifters you’ve been wanting will be. Don’t forget, you’ll pay less in taxes too.

You also have to look at the cost of being employed. Do you have to pay for dry cleaning because you wear a suit? Do you have to drive for two hours every day? Are you a complete dick when you get home because you hate everything you do all day? From personal experience, I can tell you that your spouse will take less cash if they have to take less shit.

And if you can’t survive on the pay from Speedy Parts, think of ways to reduce your overhead. All I hear on television is so called experts talking about consolidating debt, or limiting your spending on luxuries like Starbucks. How about getting rid of the car payment for the Tahoe you drive? Sell it. Drive the ‘Cuda every day. If you take the job at Speedy Parts, you only have to drive five miles anyway, and this way you will definitely enjoy the commute.

My point is, take some risk. For those of you not hurting, this may not apply. For those of you who look at this site every day between sessions of trying to get your ass out of the fire, take notice. This country was founded by risk takers, built by risk takers, and will survive because of the risk takers. The heroes we all idolize on these pages are risk takers. Are you a risk taker?

I happen to be one of the lucky people who, long ago, decided that poor and happy was better than rich and unhappy. It was a risk. Was it a smart choice? I don’t know, but the wind is in my hair and I’m still smiling.