Is it a place where you hope to be next year? Many would be justified in wanting an upgrade given the year they’ve experienced.
Maybe it’s a new home or even just a place to live, worry free. Perhaps it’s the top ranked country cited by the UN and other rating agencies.
But I doubt it’s a place at all.
I’d put my money where my heart is…the place where I can feel the way I want to feel. Seriously. It’s that simple.
In fact, if you don’t have a clear picture of that ‘place’ (the feelings that really matter most to you) no amount of moving from one country, city, home, or job can make any sustainable difference. No amount of stuff or bigger screen TVs will be enough.
It’s funny how few people get beyond this accumulation of stuff and ask what it represents to them. But when you push that question as far as you can and dive deeper into the real value behind what you bought trust that you will be rewarded.
You will discover that the place you love most is any ‘high’ that gives you pleasure. The joke is that these highs rarely can be bought. For the most part they cost nothing. They are the gifts of being alive and the gratitude we have for the people who share them with us. I call these my ‘passion absolutes’.
Good friends. A loving partner, child. A devoted pet. The joys of nature; beautiful sunsets, oceans, mountains, trees, and the wild life that run through my woods. The miracle of spring’s first flowers pushing up through the snow (at least where I live) is a sight I never tire of seeing every year. At my age I am counting the number of times left that I will experience this pleasure.
These feelings are the place settings for happiness. They are the true markers of success. Of course, having a million dollars doesn’t depreciate this quality of life. Poverty is not a prerequisite to happiness.
Whatever your goal make sure you understand where that place is for you and why you are spending what you do to get there… to enjoy that feeling, that high that makes it all worthwhile. Challenge yourself to analyze what those things you purchase represent to you. Are they the best investment of your income to get what they represent?
Quality of life is what makes you happy. Not what others want you to have.
Feeling the way you want to feel is what matters to you. That’s the best place in the world.
Copyright 2009 William M. MacKay
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