I don’t pretend to have it all figured out but I have witnessed enough cautionary tales to know we must keep trying to resist capitalism or risk becoming its victims.

We have no choice but to live in a capitalist society but we can choose how to live and how to empower ourselves through our choices.

By strengthening our knowledge in different areas, including economic systems, and informing ourselves based on diverse perspectives and evidence-based research to remain empowered and boost our critical thinking skills, we become more aware of the world around us and resist the harms of capitalism.

By saving our money, building an emergency fund, living within our means, and managing credit and debt responsibly, we resist the harms of capitalism.

By purchasing the things we need and being thoughtful about items that are nice to have, recognizing we are constantly being sold to, we resist the harms of capitalism

By investing in and caring for our physical and mental health, and making sound nutritional choices, we resist the harms of capitalism.

By not conflating our self-worth with our career status and valuing our time outside of work, we resist the harms of capitalism.

This means being conscientious about your career, health, consumerism, finances and knowledge.

I don’t expect perfection because it doesn’t exist. But I do expect thoughtful consideration of your choices to minimize the harms capitalism can bring into your lives.

In a system like this, we’ve got to do what we reasonably can to fight back.

We live in a capitalist system trying to extract as much of our money, time, attention, health and labour as it possibly can.

And yet our only path following a loss is forward. It’s important to acknowledge the loss, and the feelings associated, consider the learning opportunities from the experience and then move onto what’s next. That last step may be the hardest. Ultimately, though, it’s all we can do.

Asking for what we want won’t guarantee we get it but it does create the opportunity for others to understand what we value. This doesn’t replace the critical step of taking action to pursue what we want but it does precede it. Validate your needs and watch the world bring you happiness in return.

We won’t always be considerate, thoughtful or empathetic with others, nor they us, but it can be what we strive for.

I believe operating this way can truly leave a lasting impact on people’s lives. They may not remember much about you but you can bet they’ll remember how you made them feel.

If there is no danger, it may be worth pushing through the tension, to find out what follows next and see how far you can go.

So, if you’re unsure you can do something, something you haven’t tried before, your mind might make you feel tense or uncomfortable to protect you from the pain of possibly failing at that new challenge. If that challenge puts you or others in danger, the discomfort is probably warranted.

Think about anything you’ve accomplished in your life. How did you feel at the outset of that journey? Our brains try to protect us from pain and keep us safe.

We’ve got to direct our self talk with intentionality and talk to ourselves in the most empathetic, optimistic and encouraging ways possible. Talk to yourself like you’re talking to your best friend or your child or the person you admire most in the world. Talk to yourself like I would talk to you.

Your inner thoughts can’t always be trusted. They may try to trick you into believing your fears and insecurities. They may try to convince you you’re not enough or not deserving of love or respect or unworthy of opportunity and success. But such thoughts are self-limiting lies we tell ourselves.