How Do You Measure Success?

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?

Quality of life is nowadays measured by the amount of money you make. Success is defined by the kind of car you drive; by the neighbourhood you live in and by the “toys” you own. After all, he who dies with the most toys wins. True or false?

In contrast, the people of the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan were recently rated as having the poorest quality of life of all bar one other country in the world….after all their average annual per capita income is only $500 (approx.€375) Ironically however, when you visit this country there are no beggars, only beautiful snow capped peaks, virgin forests, and clean air. The crime is relatively non-existant, no one is in a hurry, and there is a strong sense of community. Instead of depending on their belongings to entertain themselves, they’ve learned to enhance their lives by building relationships with each other.

So the moral of this little story? Be careful to avoid the trap of “ the more you buy, the more you need”. Often the more we think we need, the more unhappy we are with what we have. So next time before you hand over your credit card for that new pair of Jimmy Choo’s (I know you can hear them calling your name!) just stop and think. Will this bring me more happiness compared to perhaps a few hours shared with a loved one, or a donation to an organisation or just doing something small that will make a difference to someone? It’s your call. It’s how you measure it

Copyright © Vanessa Vinos/Vision Life Coaching-2007.