Maybe, the problem... is you.

Turns out the fix to many of the world's problems starts with a Y and ends with U.

We all know that person that brings the room down. Or complains incessantly about things (unlike this blog which is pure ranting–!) and of course, the doomsayer, the world is going to hell in a hand-basket and that the end is near. These are also, ironically, the same fools who believe the current President, the current congress, the Russians, the Chinese, the Klingons or big business is destroying our health, our families and our way of life.

Anyone else done with these ding-dongs? Look we all have the right to voice our opinion(s) and I am thankful every day I live in a place where I can say so. Lord only knows, this blog is a testament to that. But is the world really that bad? Or are you really just that ornery and you can no longer see the bright side of anything?

For people like this, my grandmother used to have a saying, "… don't let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya!" Some of you might better know it as "Don't let the doorknob hit you in the ass on the way out–!" And if you still don't know where I'm going with this, it means you can always leave. Leave the room, leave the country, leave the planet.

However, if you think you've got a little more juice in your charge, why not make some changes? Heck just look in the old mirror and scrutinize what you see there. To help, I offer my list of the top five things we can all do to make the world a better place:

1. Blame it on the rain. No, don't start busting out a Milli Vanilli tune, just stop blaming everyone else for your lack of happiness. The world's a tough place, it's not their fault. Not the republicans, not the liberals, not the terrorists. You can choose to be a happy person. It's that simple.

2. Last man standing. Everyone isn't stupid. That's just not possible. If you think that everyone is just an ass–except you and the people you know–guess what? You have officially lived too long. Time to close-up shop.

3. Remember the time. With all due respect to the late Michael Jackson, stop pinning away for yesteryear. The 'good old days' aren't coming back. You know why? Because they already happened. How about making today tomorrow's 'good old days?'

4. Can't we all just get along? Yes, we can, Rodney. Things–and people–don't suck just because you don't like them. Music, food, different people, foreign customs and religions that aren't yours aren't wrong or dumb just because they aren't yours.

5. That tastes funny. Variety is the spice of life–the world's your oyster. Why not try new things? If you're reading this, chances are you aren't a toddler, so don't act like one when it comes to new things like food, tolerance and acceptance. Come on–join us.

This is the stuff I preach to my own kids, pretty much verbatim. Since I know they read this blog, along with their teachers, their friends and other family members, I thought I would share it with the blog-osphere. "You know–for the kids."

Look, life dishes out enough downers to have to deal with fatalistic weenies. At last count, approximately NONE of us is perfect. That's what makes us all so interesting! We all get pimples, we all do stupid stuff when we're young and we all drink waaay too much soda. That's the beauty of it all. The very things we complain about are often the very things that define us. Diversity is a gift. Adversity is how we grow. The change starts with you, embrace it.

Hey, all the kids are doing it.