Many of us have seen the successful show hosted here in the United States with Howie Mandel called Deal or No Deal. I find the show quite fascinating…it’s interesting to watch how far people are willing to go to reach the case with the top financial prize. So many try to climb that ladder, and unfortunately few succeed.

Deal Or No Deal kind of reminds me of another show that operated along the same premise….that show was hosted by Monty Hall and was called Let’s Make A Deal.That show also tested the contestants to see how far they would go before they would take the money and walk away.

So how about you? How much does it take for us as individuals to keep climbing up the ladder, letting it ride or say, That’s as far as I want to go. Each year we hear of many employees taking early buyouts, putting them on the fast track to retirement. Those sweetheart deals seem to be coming less and less these days.

In a recent conversation with a friend of mine we had a chuckle or two about the show Deal Or No Deal. Surprisingly, both of us would quite easily walk away within the 250 to 300 thousand dollar range. Call us chicken, but with each roll of the dice after that, the chances of financial windfall greatly diminish. Here’s a crazy question I have for you all out there….if someone showed up at your door with a million dollar check, and said to you, You can have this check, if you agree to not do any more substantial work in your life. That means, all other goals are null and void. Would you do it….would you take the check? Sounds great in theory, but it’s surprising how fast a million dollars can go through some people’s hands. Not to mention, does life get strange and boring if there are no goals to strive for? Some I know would take the money and run, while others may hesitate.

I believe the reason these shows like Deal Or No Deal are successful is because it forces us to think and contemplate what we would do…how far we would go before we would be willing and content to cash out. It’s a great way to examine all our wants and needs. Those weekly contestants, deep down, represent all of us, while the spotlight shines on their blessings and flaws. The people who seem to do the best on those type of shows are the ones who know what they want and need before the game begins.

Roll the dice wisely,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2008 Jennifer Avalon

We all should not be so surprised regarding the energy crisis many of us around the world are now facing. It has been a long time coming. I am old enough to remember the gas lines of the 1970’s here in the United States, and the many who lined up during those times to wait for hours to fill up their gas tanks speaking among themselves that this has to change. Fast forward thirty plus years and guess what? Very little, if not anything, on a grand scale, has changed!

Oil and gas are now higher in demand than ever before. While the Middle East pushes supply more and more, the increased supplies can no longer keep up with demands. Added to the problem is the argument of whether speculators are pushing the prices even higher. This is not really addressing the problem….what we are faced with is an addiction to oil and a rejection or stubborness to try other forms of energy. In the short term, whether we like it or not, to get to where we need to be we are going to have to adapt some form of combination of solar, wind, electric and dare I say, nuclear power. One alone will not be enough…and will take too long to get us to energy independence.

Some countries are already there….France for instance has fully adapted nuclear power. Yet a lot of us look like a bunch of bumbling fools arguing over every detail, while nothing gets done and Winter is fastly approaching. Have the chickens come home to roost? You betchya! Many are running around the hen house looking at each other saying, “What do we do? What do we do?” At the current rate of oil increases, it just may be possible that there will be some coal under the Christmas tree, with a little Spam on the dinner table. Santa Claus this year may just have to settle for half the milk and cookies!

Hey, you’ve got to laugh….I look at my car and I can slowly hear a voice saying, “Feed me!” And when I open my wallet, I hear an eerie sound croaking, “Is that all you’ve got?” No joking….many are feeling the pinch! Here in the United States the state of Utah is going to a four day work week, for the workers and the state to save on energy. I’m sure more states will follow. It is a crisis and I do believe some incredible innovation and good will come out of this, in the end. We’ve been lazy too long…there are solutions…we just have to think and be realistic. The world is growing, and so must we. The day of having one dominant force for energy is coming to an end.

Hybrid cars, electric cars, who knows what’s next? But we will look back and question why we settled for so few miles to the gallon….future generations will shake their heads and wonder why it took us so long. I still look at rooftops and say to myself, why don’t they all have solar panels? I know it’s expensive, but like everything else, as more people use them, the cost will go down. Look at the plasma television screens…remember how expensive they were at the beginning? We will innovate and we’ll obtain a more personal understanding of what powers our lives and heats our homes.

Conservation and a little innovation can do wonders. We all just have to learn in government, work, and life, to compromise.

Be energized,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2008 Jennifer Avalon