Do you remember the last time you asked someone how work was? How about life in general? What was their response?
What did you say the last time you were asked those questions? I bet I know. It’s the same thing almost everyone I talk to says, and something I’ve been keeping track of the past few weeks.
The unanimous answer: “busy”
The response is almost programmed. No need to think. And then they look at me proudly, as if I should be impressed. Well, I can’t say that I am.
I must admit that “busy” has been my response for years. But how did we all of a sudden find ourselves in a society where busy was the most acceptable way to be spending our time?
We’ve talked of being busy for so long that we’ve forgotten that being busy was never the goal. We are not on this earth to be busy. We are here to build relationships, experience life, go places, create things, help others, or whatever else you decide. Our reasons for being will all be different but I have a feeling that none of us feel we are here simply to be busy. But this thinking has lead us to think busy is good…no matter what we’re busy with.
One of the toughest challenges to being a new parent is the realization of how little free time you actually have.
During the first few weeks of Ryan’s arrival at home, my day would consist of diaper changes, feeding, burping, breast pumping, holding, rocking, shushing – and the cycle repeats itself until my husband comes home. On many days, finding time for a shower becomes a challenge in itself.
And if I’m lucky, when he’s napping, I’ll have an hour or two to run to the bathroom, wash all my breast pump parts and get something to eat. On my most productive days, my accomplishments include getting the dishes done, or a trip to the grocery store.
This has been my life for the past six months. And what I described above is only a small portion of the challenges we’ve face. Other challenges include sleep deprivation, maintaining romantic relationships, and colic (3+ hours of non-stop crying every evening for several weeks).
Financial success is not the property of the privileged, neither is it the bounty of the fortunate few; financial success is the certain possession of the individuals who are willing to follow the principles of financial success.
These principles that I’m referring to will work for anyone who applies them; no one can apply these principles and not succeed, anymore than someone can add 1+1 and not get 2.
What I will be discussing in these next few moments does not entail a get-rich-quick scheme, because there are no quick fixes. It is in the chasing of “fool’s gold” that the priceless gift of time is squandered and dreams lost.
This article contains a concise compilation of the primary principles requisite for the attainment of financial success.
You can look at the lives of any financially successful person and see these principles readily at work in their lives. It was these principles that I utilized to manifest the funds for a seven bedroom home when I was 24, and these principles will work for you just as surely as the sun rises in the east and lays its head to rest in the west.
Inspiration is typically viewed as something that comes and goes. Some days you “feel it” more than others.
But what if you could be deeply and unconditionally inspired everyday? I bet it would make a difference in the quality of your life. You would probably wake up excited to start your day. You’d get more done, be more creative and feel more of that elusive “flow.” Being inspired also means enjoying the process more, instead of feeling forced and unnatural.
The best part of persistent inspiration is that action tends to be effortless. There isn’t so much trying, rather you’re more simply being and allowing whatever action is natural to flow out from you.
Most of us just wait for inspiration though. We passively anticipate our muse, instead of actively seeking it out.
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
~Jack London
I’ve been experimenting with something different for a while, purposefully taking responsibility for being inspired. For a while I didn’t know if it would work. Inspiration is kind of an elusive phenomenon after all. And even if you choose to look for inspiration, does that mean it will come?
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Vadim PacevWhosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast, or a god.~Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon may have exaggerated, but his point was clear: most people despise being alone. People will surround themselves in harmful relationships to avoid solitude. They will change their clothes, hobbies or even their religious beliefs just to fit in. And, the idea of being completely alone in the world is a common theme in horror films.
However, there is a power in being able to find contentment in solitude. Bacon, wasn’t far off when he ascribed god-like powers to the people who can enjoy solitude. If you are able to be happy alone, then even in the emptiest times in life you can find peace and even joy.
I’m not suggesting solitude is better than being with people. Simply that it’s impossible to completely avoid aloneness in life, so it’s worth having a strategy to find joy in those moments. Enjoying solitude can also give you an independence that makes you less desperate with friends and less likely to cling onto lousy relationships.
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Vadim Pacev
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