Life Wealth

There are times, more often than not, when you want to lay around and do nothing. After all, it's been a miserable work week, and you are entitled for some downtime, an adult beverage, to stay up late and sleep until noon. Not all of us can lay claim to that same litany of activity based on the current stage of life you're in (single vs. married, with kids vs. without), but there is some unproductive, passive activity which we can call our own.

And it feels good.

Then it feels lazy.

There are 4 phases in the evolution towards regaining downtime productivity. It is a natural progression present in life. But like all things, most people stop before you ever really start, satisfied that they've regained balance and perspective; falling short of achieving all of their dreams and wishes. And that's ok. We all measure happiness differently.

But if you ever wonder why that former exotic dancer just won an Oscar for their first ever screenplay and said to yourself, "why her?", then keep reading. Just as I believe the line between sanity and insanity, wealthy and poor, achieving your dreams or not - is razor thin; the path to life productivity producing happiness and wealth is really just around the corner.

Life Wealth isn't about money. It is about having all the people, experiences, and things in your life to make you happy and feel whole. Money can be a contributing factor to this, if only to provide time to experience life or step out and accomplish your goals. Tim Ferriss' book, the Four Hour Work Week (linked to by Whipple Wonders) really expands on this theory and offers many approaches to achieving your goals and becoming part of the New Rich (who have Life Wealth).

However, before you begin that, you must understand the cycle you are in each and every day, and determine what your ultimate goal is. These phases are:

Me Time: We're all to familiar with this. This is our withdrawal from society. This is playing video games all night, a pint of Ben and Jerry's over a ungodly horrible Lifetime movie, a drive to nowhere. We simply need to get away from the mundane and stressful clutches of daily life. This phase is first because we need to pull back before making strides to move forward. What makes this terribly frightening is that the masses never progress beyond phase one. Don't get trapped. Take a couple weekends ofr you, then move on. 60% of all people never escape "Me Time" and are content.

Busy Bee: There are the fortunate few who recognize it's time to give themselves a kick in the seat. They realize it's time to do something instead of waste away their downtime - i.e. life. To-do lists filled with put-off tasks such as changing light bulbs, spring cleaning, laundry, and basic house repairs and upkeep are born. This is a healthy phase because the lists typically consist of easy items to accomplish, providing immediate positive reinforcement for a job well done. 25% find joy at this phase are will repeat the first two steps with the same regularity as taking out the trash.

Experiential Living: Life is more than resting and "honey do" lists. It's there to be tasted, touched, and lived in. Here, we introduce social circles, day and weekend trips, and nightlife. These times become your stories. They mold you into the person you've always wanted to become. Experiences make you unique, and more importantly, feel special. You start to get some understanding as to who you are and what life is all about. This phase is home to 12 - 13% of us.

Manifesting through Discipline: Want to write a book? Travel the world? Create art? Start a business? Help the less fortunate? Run for office? Everyone has something grand they want to do. I always said the the sole difference between those who want to write a book and those who actually do is that those who do write that book actually did the work; whereas those who don't - don't. Discipline is the key to all success. Tiger Woods is the most focused and disciplined golfer in the world. These traits have also made him the best. People always say, "if you just put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." There has never been a truer statement. We can do anything we want. Achieve anything you want to do. Make money, start a business, give to others - if we fully embrace that dream and have the discipline to manifest it into reality. This is an incredibly difficult step; primarily because of the perfect self-discipline required. Focus and commit here, and you join the 2% New Rich, Life Wealthy, and joyous, accomplished folks in the world - the ones that others look to and say, "how were they able to do that?"

Let's hold each other accountable to ourselves. If you set goals to move out of your current phase, wherever you are, please let us know of your progress by updating readers on this blog. Inspire each other and we can make things happen.

Happy living!