Living the Dream

After many years of self employment battling to stay afloat, juggling bills with late invoices, housekeeping with school hours and work with family life in general, something suddenly snapped! I wasn't getting rich, I wasn't pursuing my own goals, I wasn't living MY dream. We all have them, whether its a wish for fame, fortune or personal satisfaction. So what went wrong?

First of all, success is not a measurement of money, it is a measure of personal development and achievement. Take a long, hard look at what you HAVE achieved over the years, right back to your school days, and then decide if things are getting better or worse.

We set out in this world with nothing, it is up to us to follow a lifestyle that avoids self-inflicted health problems. It is up to us to seek out information and learn to avoid self-inflicted ignorance. It is up to us to spend wisely to avoid debts and to be in control of our own destiny in as far as is humanly possible. A look back over the years shows progress is in the right direction. If, for you, it doesn't seem that way, then today is the first day on your path to success. You just need to look again at what you have achieved and then get back onto that path. Whichever road you take, the journey is yours and yours alone.

How rich am I? I feel incredibly rich and am extremely grateful for everything that I have. I don't want for money, although I grumble about being skint. If truth be told, we could easily live our current lifestyle for 4 or 5 years without worrying about an income and without Government hand outs. That, to me, is a form of success. But it is based on a very simple theory of waste not, want not. It's wrapped around a choice of lifestyle that many would not tolerate, but it's also a lifestyle that I can afford to enjoy, simply because it was my dream. A house in the country, some homegrown fruit & veg, freshly laid eggs most days from our own hens and ducks and no deadlines, no commuting and no debts! I put in my 40 hours each week but they aren't like conventional work, they are about creating my dream and living it to the best of my ability without risking its future.

The past few years have taught me a great deal, the most important thing being that until you can do as you please at your own expense, then there is no success story. Anyone relying on third party funding is deluding themselves. Every penny counts in as far as clearing debt is concerned and then avoiding it like the plague.

That's my thoughts on life in general and pursuing dreams. It's all a numbers game and if we need blinkers to prevent us wandering off course in pursuit of non-essentials before we've crossed the line of personal success, then so be it - wear those blinkers well. :)