Why is it that when you have everything, you can still feel as if you’re lacking in life? Living in the United States, we are absorbed by consumerism that places the value of material items, instant gratification, and feelings of social acceptance above other human needs or desires. In the inertia of accumulating wealth and struggling to meet unrealistic standards of beauty, style, and leisure, we often lose sight of the things that matter most – things that no amount of wealth can buy: our health, our happiness, and our inner peace.
While you might have a lot to be grateful for on paper, if you aren’t living a life that nourishes the most authentic version of yourself, including your physical and emotional well-being, it can be easy to feel disconnected, discouraged, and perhaps even guilty of the things you do have. The key to tapping into the essence of who you truly are, and unlocking the path toward all you wish to become, is taking a step back and disconnecting from the outside forces projecting their ideas and desires onto you. This can mean taking time away from social media, friends, family, or even a romantic partner, and asking yourself: What would make ME deeply happy? How much do I REALLY need to live a healthy and balanced life?
These simple questions may prove difficult to answer if you’ve spent the majority of your life serving anyone or anything other than yourself. Perhaps you’ve sacrificed serious relationships or athletic pursuits to focus on building a career or managing an estate; or you’ve sacrificed years of your life to meet a demanding schedule, running from one commitment to the next, and never taking the time to truly rest or consider your own personal needs and desires. Even with the financial resources to live beyond your means for generations to come, it’s still possible to feel wholly unsatisfied with your life if you neglect to establish a healthy boundary between the external world and all that it demands, and the more personal inner world in which your soul is content, and your body is nourished.
Here are a few more questions to consider: If you had unlimited financial resources and no other obligations: Who would you choose to be, and what would you be doing right now? Where would you be? Who would you be with? What would you be doing for yourself?
Consider your most genuine passions, maybe even your childhood dreams. Consider your physical health, your mental, emotional, and spiritual health, your recreational activities, your family, your friends, and your pets – everything related to you, your life, and your happiness. Now consider how closely your actual life resembles the life you imagine for yourself given the above circumstances. If your reality seems far from the reality you’ve imagined, consider what concrete steps you can take today to make your real life look a little more like your ideal life.
Maybe these concrete steps look like following Marie Kondo’s tidying methods in your home to free up space for a home library, meditation corner, or exercise room, or maybe they look like appointing a corporate trustee to give yourself the necessary space and time away from the stressful and heavy burden of managing your family’s estate.
No matter what type of life you envision for yourself, or how far away your goals seem to be from your current reality, TWC wealth coaches and financial planners are here to help you navigate these difficult questions and keep you moving forward toward the life you dream of for yourself.