Developing Prosperity

By dougnau on Nov 27, 2009 in Financial Growth, Goal Setting, Personal Growth, Success

Have you ever wondered what the path was to becoming truly prosperous? Many people fail because they develop the path before determining the goal. They assume prosperity means achieving a state of financial wealth yet the boundaries around what it means to attain financial wealth are seldom defined. So what does it truly mean to become prosperous?

Prosperity is defined as - “a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition”. Again, these are all exciting states to achieve, but given the level of personal interpretation that can be assigned to each of these qualities, the truth of the matter is that you must decide what becoming prosperous means to you. Again, if you lack clarity here, you are failing to even get in the game. Here’s several simple steps to becoming prosperous in any aspect of your life (health, career, relationships. personal growth, finance, enjoyment).

Become Clear – craft a vision, set goals, write down what it is you want. People struggle here because they are unsure what they want. If you feel like this, don’t take life so seriously, enjoy the process, and pick an outcome you really think you’d like. Also, this might be a chance to have a heart to heart with yourself and make sure your not talking yourself out of your goals because you are afraid of failing. Taking action towards what you want is not always easy, but the alternative is a life which is unfulfilling. You tell me which what’s really the easy path.
Devote Yourself – if you really want to be prosperous, devote yourself to becoming so. Want to get healthy, then what are you doing watching football games and eating chicken wings. Want to make more money, then go beyond expectation at your work. Want a better relationship? Then stop squabbling with your wife about who did the dishes last night. Really, in the grand scheme of a life together, how big of a deal is that? All these suggestions point to a simple truth. Wanting something is not enough. You must devote your thoughts and your action towards accomplishing your goals in order to become prosperous. Sound too big? Then you are learning something about what you really want, not what you say you want.
Be Prepared for Failure – Every prosperous person learns from their mistakes. No self made millionaire made all the right moves the first time around. The person that bounces back up after failing repeatedly, is the person destined to win. Can you see it? How could you fail if you ‘always’ try again. Failure is a part of life and if you can’t handle failure, then you can’t handle prosperity.
Take as long as it takes – How long will it take to accomplish your goal? Want to run a marathon and you’ve never run? It should take 6 months to train to this level. What if it took you 10 times this long? Could you persist for 6 years? I am here telling you now that you’ve got to be willing to stay with your goals for the long run. Its far too easy to try then give up. Try should not be in your vocabulary. When it comes to developing personal prosperity, why would anyone ‘try’. You create – right? (after all, what’s the alternative – mediocrity?)
Become Clear: Again – Time goes on and life changes. Your goals will change. Your priorities will change. Your definition of prosperity will change. If you are operating with outdated goals, that’s as good as having no goals. Make it a regular practice (at least annually) to evaluate your goals and re-define these for yourself. Hold onto those that have the most meaning for you. Be true to yourself. Family pressures, unexpected commitments, and any surprising life event can change your priorities. There’s no point in beating yourself up over goals you’ve been less than committed to, and by the same token, if the goal really has meaning, you’ll be excited to refocus towards its attainment. Never give up on what really has meaning for you.

Your Current Situation is Who You Are

I’ve heard it over and over, and never quite got it the way I get it now. I assume you might have the same perplexed/unappreciative look on your face that I had when I first heard this. Your current situation is an exact result of your life decisions. No, your situation has nothing to do with your upbringing, your parents, your schooling system, your lack of opportunity. Your current situation is a reflection of you.

If you don’t like your current situation, that can be a tough statement to swallow. If so, the reality is that it is time to take ownership of your life. Don’t fight against it, see the truth in what’s written above. You’ve made decisions that have led to outcomes that have culminated in the result of your current situation. Sure, its easier to blame others, luck, or the economy, but its more productive to learn and grow from what has happened. You choose, be a victim or a victor.

To become prosperous, you must own all of who you are. Whatever’s happened up until now will only limit you if you allow it to do so. You have absolute control over the decisions you make starting this moment and the strategies listed above guarantee prosperity – if you choose to believe it.

Prosperity is a state of mind. Its becoming successful, it is to flourish, and it is to thrive in this moment. I often wonder what separates me from someone in a state of ‘poor health’ when they sit with me in a room. The reality is that their experience is nearly identical to mine in that moment. And our only real difference is my commitment to the thought that I’ve got which has me running 4 miles later that day (and 5 more days this week). If they had that same thought, they would share in my prosperity when it came to health. Likewise, were I truly committed to becoming a public speaker and sharing levels of success with the likes of Wayne Dyer, I’d be taking action to become a world class speaker. Though I may tell myself that I’d like to do that, my actions to date tell me that this is not truly a goal of mine. I must own that reality.

Prosperity starts now

Are you waiting to become prosperous? Is life too overwhelming right now to take on another project? Do you feel like things are spiraling out of control and don’t see a way to start? If so, you’ll need to give yourself a good slap in the face and assess your priorities. For those of you that feel like ‘getting by’ is the priority, then you’ll get that. You’ll get by with your career, with your finances, with your health, and you’ll never excel in any of the areas you wish to become prosperous in. Waiting till you finish the next project, for the new year, for the kids to grow up, till you get the next job, till you retire? How’s that worked out for you so far? Now is the only moment you’ll ever have.

The truth is that your life is way too important to wait one second. Prosperity can be had this very moment. More than anything, prosperity is a decision. A thought pattern that has you acting in a coherent way that is aligned with your goals. Its not the achievement of the goals, rather the path towards its achievement which defines prosperity. Make the decision to live prosperous and see the shift this moment.

Be Well