Happiness, Health, Wisdom and Wealth ^™

I’m always amazed at the disconnects I see every day in this arena. Someone will tell me they really want to lose weight. I’ll ask their BMI and they’ll say, "What’s that?" Someone will say they really want to get into shape and I’ll say, "What’s your resting heart rate?" They have no idea. Someone will tell me they are worried about an illness they have. I ask what it is and they say, "Colo… Cocci… Fibro… something or other." You get the idea; these people aren’t really addressing the things they think they are. They don’t care enough to measure; even to know the name. People measure what they care about and they come to care about what they measure. They very first step in planning your life is planning what you’re going to measure.

Then you want to do the same kinds of things you would do to plan a vacation. Decide the kind of a vacation/life you want. What’s its purpose? Relaxing, exciting, visiting, solitude, strenuous, calm, etc. If you’re looking for calm solitude, the slope at Aspen in winter may not be the best fit. Once you have the general categories down you can begin to look at specifics that address those categories. Skiing, diving, rock climbing, sitting on the beach sipping cool ones, museums, long talks with relatives or friends, a good book, shopping, etc. All this should help you narrow down your destinations. What are the demands of going to these possible destinations and what resources do you have? For a vacation that may mean time or money. In life it may mean talents or attributes. For a vacation you’d probably want to talk to someone who’s been there. In life you’d probably want to talk to someone who’s been there.

Once you got a destination(s) and maybe some waypoints you’re ready to start to think about mode of travel, how are you going to get there. In a vacation it’s a lot more fun if the travel is part of the fun. In life it’s a lot more fun if the travel is part of the fun. Remember, success is not a destination; it’s the journey. Finally you’re ready to shop for accommodations and plan activities.

Now let’s more explicitly spell out how you might use this information to plan your life. The first thing we need to decide is purpose. What is your life about? Our research indicates that happy people have a higher purpose. People need a higher purpose they can’t do things ‘just because it’s their job or responsibility’. The purpose of my life is growth. To continually improve on all levels. Today I want to be better in every respect than I was yesterday. Now at first this may seem a bit self centered but my ability to help others grows with me. You can only share it if you’ve got it and that’s true for happiness, health, wisdom and wealth. I’m certainly not suggesting that this should be your purpose, it’s an example. You’ll want to make this decision for yourself.

The next thing to figure out is your destination, where do you want to end up? Some ways you might think about this include: imagine you are dying and seeing your life flash before your eyes, what do you want to see; write your epitaph; write your eulogy; write your obituary; imagine watching yourself on Biography. Don’t limit yourself by what you believe is possible; decide where you want to end up! What limits are imposed by this destination and what resources will be required to get there?

Next you may want to decide on waypoints. These are mileposts, mini-destinations along the way. Getting married, graduating from college, patenting your first invention, playing in your first concert or climbing Mt. Everest. What limits are imposed by these waypoints and what resources will be required to get there?

Then you may want to consider routes and modes of travel. Do you need more education or training? Do you need more practice? Do you need money or mentoring? What limits are imposed by these routes and modes of travel and what resources will be required to along the way?

Now, you’re ready to begin your journey. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t achieve all your goals. No one achieves everything they set out too unless they aim very low. Aim really high and even getting halfway is very satisfying!