Living a Rewarding, Successful, and Happy Life

Living a Rewarding and Happy Life Requires Balance and Focus

Good living is all about balance. Yet many people fail to realize this, and instead focus their energies on certain aspects of their life while neglecting others. This creates an imbalance, preventing us from reaching real and lasting satisfaction and fulfullment.

To live a good life, one must maintain areas of strength while identifying and improving areas of weakness. The Rate My Life Quiz helps identify some of the weak areas. In order to be a balanced individual, you must have a clear mental state, a healthy body, a strong spirit, a dependable social network, romantic satisfaction, and financial stability. These are key components to a happy life.

Yet in this modern world, we are often assaulted on each of these grounds. Television, information technology, the fast pace of life... these things create noise inside our heads.

Junk food, pollution, chemicals, addictions, the rise in obesity and diabetes... these things contribute to the declining health of our bodies.

Cynicism, depression, materialism, and a vacuous culture... these things damage our spirit and turn us away from finding real meaning in life.

Our highly mobile society, the internet and television, weakening family bonds.. these things can work against a healthy social network of friends and family.

Marital infidelity, moral decline, meaningless dating... these things work against pure and everlasting romantic love.

Credit cards and accumulating debt, declining wages, unemployment, job outsourcing... these things make it difficult for many individuals to live sustainably.

And too many people are willing to passively accept the circumstances of their day-to-day life. Too many people are so ingrained in their routine that meaningful change never comes. But let today be the day that YOU make a change. Let today be the start of a journey that will lead to greater balance and satisfaction.

Improve your mind by sharpening it with challenging classes or puzzles or literature. Eliminate the noise by unplugging your technology each night, allowing you to practice the calming arts of meditation or yoga. Decide to get help for depression or other disorders of the mind. Find and eliminate sources of stress.

Improve your body by eliminating highly-processed foods and instead eating foods that are natural, not preserved and full of chemicals. Start taking walks outdoors and give your body a regular work-out. Reduce stress, which is incredibly harmful to your body's good health. Drink water and tea and all-natural fruit juices. Give up vices such as cigarette smoking and alcohol, which make you feel good in the short-term but contribute to long-term harm. Let today be the day.

Improve your spirit by reconnecting with the natural world. Take in a full appreciation of the wonderous creation around you. Focus on your faith and strengthen it. Find a house of worship that fits your world-view and attend services. Reject the cynicism and materialism of modern society and connect with something larger than yourself. Do something selfless each and every day.

Improve your friend and family relations by reconnecting with long-lost friends or distant relatives. You will be amazed at how alive you feel once you do this. Use technology to your advantage and grow your social network by attending events at MeetUp.com, or similar sites. Turn your online interactions into face-to-face ones, to experience the full dimensions of friendship (remember to be safe). Volunteer to work with others for good causes.

Improve your love and romance by focusing on finding a match based not on the shallow aspects of appearance or wealth but on a deeper compatibility. Many people are tempted by desires for loveless pleasure, yet such relationships do not bring fulfillment. Others hold out hope that they will be swept away by someone of great beauty. Be active in your pursuit of love and avoid the shallow focus that society dictates. Go to places where good people are, at coffee shops, at volunteer groups, at local events. This is also an area where you can let technology do the hard work for you, by trying out a matching site like eharmony.com.

Improve your financial situation by shunning materialism and paying down any debts. We live in a disposable culture in which big money is made by the suggestion that you must throw away yesterday's products and buy the latest thing today. Instead, make yesterday's products last and only replace them based on true need. Focus on advancing your career; take classes to that end, if it will help your long-term employment prospects. Build a savings and grow it as best you can.

Real change isn't easy--it takes effort and commitment, which is why many people avoid it. But the rewards you will reap are well-worth the effort. Why languish in a mediocre life just because it is easier to follow the path of least resistence? Excel to greatness, find real purpose and real satisfaction in your life! Do not fear change, but embrace it. Your journey starts now.