The idea of successful living is defined by each individual person. If you were to ask a hundred people how they define successful living, no two answers would be alike, guaranteed. Would you see a pattern or similarities? Possibly. Have you ever asked yourself "Am I living a successful life?" Are you living the life you envisioned when you were a young teenager or even while in college? What would a successful life look like to you?
Often people rate their success in life on the external world, for example, how nice of a car they drive, how large a house they live in, how high on the ladder they have climbed in their chosen profession. Some people feel they have achieved a successful life based on external factors. I am not here to say that they have not achieved success. In fact, I do feel that living a life of comfort, surrounded by fine things and being able to enjoy the fruits of our labor is an important aspect of living a successful life. However, there is much more to successful living than what we have on the outside.
For some, there is a burning desire within to fulfill the internal needs of their being. They desire to be more connected with their families and friends, to live their life with purpose and make a difference in this world. They want the freedom to plan out their days exactly in a manner that they choose. They want to get up when they want, do what they want when they want and only have themselves to answer to. They want to be at all their children's sporting events, dance shows, band performances or any event. They want to be able to give back to the community with their time and financial contribution. They want to be there if a family member becomes ill. They want to be able to help others around the world that are less fortunate than themselves. This desire runs deep within and can only be fulfilled by creating a successful life that encompasses time AND money.
Unfortunately, most of the western world operates in such a way that in order to achieve success, you must give up your time. For some, they will be handsomely paid for trading their time for money, think corporate business, and it may be rewarding. However, for many, they work very hard and receive little pay so trading time for money is not so rewarding. Are you trading time for money? Are you living the life you desire? Write down what you would be doing if money was not a factor in what you do with your time.
