The 4 Resources You Need to Live Your Dream Life

What does your dream life look like?

Do you have a concrete plan to make your dream life a reality?

Maybe you haven’t spent much time drawing out your dream life, but when its quiet or you’re in your car alone, you find your mind drifting to a point in the future where your life is satisfying and happy.

Your future plans, the ones that give you comfort and hope and inspiration are all really about FREEDOM.  The FREEDOM to live the life that you desire.

In this article I share with you the 4 resources you need to live your dream life.

Some time ago, I originally published an article sharing the 3 resources you need to live your dream life. BUT…I’ve grown and progressed since then (thank goodness!), and I now realize that there are actually 4 resources you need to live your dream life. This is an updated version of that original article.

NOTE: I’ve removed the original article because I consider it incomplete.

Health

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

– Mahatma Gandhi

Are you healthy enough?

You don’t have to be an ironman triathlete, or a fitness competitor, or have the same energy you did when you were 18 years old. Maybe this is your goal, but it doesn’t have to be.

As with the other 4 resources, enough “health” is relative to you, but there are basically two components that determine if you are healthy enough:

• You are happy with how you feel:  You feel good, in your opinion.  Overall, when asked, you would not complain.
• You can do the things you want to do: This is the critical health component to living the life you desire. If you are not healthy enough to do what you want, then unlimited amounts of time, money, and relationships will NOT make up the difference.

Health is a slippery and sneaky bugger.  As you get older, it gets harder and harder to maintain, and requires more effort. Unfortunately, you may achieve your goals in the other areas at precisely the time your health fails you. Therefore, you must focus on it NOW!

Your goal is to be healthy enough to DO the things you want WHEN you are able.

Here is the GREAT NEWS about your health:  you can make a decision today to start improving it!  Your overall physical health is comprised of genetics, diet and nutrition, and your level of activity.   YOU CAN CONTROL 2 of those 3 things.  Get on it…

Time

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life

– Steve Jobs

Are you spending your time the way you want?

Time is tricky, because it’s finite and fleeting.  You can NEVER get time BACK.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone.  As such, it is INFINITELY VALUABLE.

You can make more money, you can meet more people, and you can work to be healthier, but you can never get time back.

Every single one of us have the same 24 hours in a day.  Time is the great equalizer and levels the playing field.

Let’s face it, you have responsibilities and you have bills to pay. You can’t let that slack. With the proper prioritization, however, you can start working towards your vision for the future.  You may even have to sacrifice MORE time now, in order to spend your time how you want in the future.

What does having enough time really mean?  It simply means that you have ENOUGH TIME to do the things you WANT and are IMPORTANT to you.

Here are few things help you start thinking about how much time you will need to live your dream life:

• Are you a parent?  Do you presently spend enough time with your children?   What kind of parent do YOU want to be? Does that require more time?
• What does your ideal day look like?  Actually sit down with some paper and work out your ideal day.  What time do you get up?  How do you spend that day?  What are the activities?  This is an excellent thought experiment and helps with forming a concrete vision for your future.
• Do you wish to travel or spend significant time in multiple locations?  Vacationing, but also traveling to see your kids, grandkids, and network of friends.  Maybe you’ve always envisioned spending seasons in different locations.  If you are ALLOWED 2 or 3 weeks of vacation from your employer per year, will that be ENOUGH TIME for you to do and see all of the people, places, and things that you want?

Finances

Working because you want to, not because you have to is financial freedom.

– Tony Robbins

How much money do you need?

Money does NOT make you rich. Money should never be the goal of your life. BUT…it is definitely one of the four resources that fuel your dream life.

Money is a tool, and when used properly, can be one of the most effective tools.  However, many people get caught in the trap of thinking “money solves everything”.  That mindset in itself causes you to understand that you need ALL four resources.  Instead, understand that money is a tool, and the key to obtaining it is to add value.

So how much do you need?  Here are a few questions to help you work it out:

• Who do you want to be and what do you want to do?  This IS the vision for your life.  What is the amount that it will take to lead this life?
• In whom or what do you want to invest? Think of being able to invest in people and projects that you find interesting and worthwhile.  Who are these people and what are the projects?  Regardless of whether you are investing for financial return, or social return, or spiritual return, focusing on the investments that you want to make will help determine how much money you will need.
• Who do you want to help?  Do you want to be able to help your kids, and their kids financially?  Do you want to create a life changing legacy for future generations? Do you want the financial resources in your later years to travel around and still be a big part of your kids and their families lives?  Do you want to be able to give money to your Church, or your favorite charity?  When you concretely frame the faces of those you want to help, it will help you calculate the amount of money required to help them.

In order to enjoy financial freedom, you need a vehicle to get you there.  More than any of the other 3 resources, the vehicle MUST play nicely with time.  It does you no good to have enough money, but never enough time because you must continually trade time for money.

You will need to find the proper financial vehicle for your life.

Relationships

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.

– Swedish Proverb

Do you have “go to” people in your life?

You may have plenty of the other three, but without someone to share it with, your tank is empty.

The quality of your personal and spiritual relationships has an enormous impact on your mental and physical health. You also know that deep down, that the most important and emotionally satisfying moments of your life have been shared with others.  Creating, developing, and maintaining relationships may be the most important work you do in your entire life.

The relationships you build also has an impact on your career path. Have you heard the saying, “Your network is your net worth”? Whether its a new job, growth in a current job, or building your own business, your network is the chain that leads to success.

Here are a few tips to help you know if you are fostering enough or the proper relationships:

• You have someone to share with and others share with you: Good times, complaints, struggles…Do you currently have someone, or some people, with whom you can share your highs and lows?
• You truly wish well for another, or others: Whether intimate, platonic, or business, do you find yourself being truly happy for others when they have good news?  Or are you truly wishing them good fortune?
• You have someone to call if you lost your job, or started a new business: Is there someone, or a group of people that you know could help you professionally?

Building your network will improve your happiness, productivity, career, and net worth to the world. Invest in people.

How Do You Get There?

Here are the resources you need to live your dream life:

• Health
• Time
• Finances
• Relationships

One or two without the others will leave you deficient and unfulfilled.  Only you can determine how much of each you need, but they are all important on some level.

To get there, your path will include the principles included in the post on How to Be a Pro. It takes awareness, a decision, a plan, commitment, and perseverance.

BUT…it also takes the right vehicle, or vehicles.  This vehicle will likely be something that can lead to passive, residual income. Maybe your job is fulfilling, but you don’t have any security, so starting something on the side might be a great idea. Possibly you have a great handle on your health and relationships, but you need something that can help you get the finances and time you want.  Or maybe time and money is not your problem, but your health is suffering.

If you are searching…for an opportunity, or a way to “get there”, please reach out to me and I’d be happy to talk. I may be able to point you in the right direction or introduce you to the right person from my network that will change your life.