Are you trying to reach a goal that feels like a large mountain to climb?

Climbing a mountain is much easier than one would think. You start at the bottom, you progress towards base camp, you hit the middle of the mountain, and then you reach the summit.

As climbers ascend, they come into contact with different elements such as thinner air and colder temperatures. If they climb the mountain too quickly, they will not be used to the new environment, and they will be out of their comfort zone. The same principle holds true for those of you who are climbing your own mountains, and striving for goals. As you climb higher to reach your goals, you will experience a different feeling.

You may feel anxious, like the mountaineer feels at the bottom of the mountain, knowing that his journey has only begun. You may feel overwhelmed like the mountaineer who is at base camp, knowing that he has many steps to climb. You may feel excited, like the mountaineer who has just hit the middle of the mountain, knowing that the peak is within reach. You may feel proud of yourself, like the mountaineer who has reached the summit, knowing that he obtained his goal.

So, How Can You Climb The Mountain To Your Goals?

1. Start at the bottom establish what your goals are.

* Write down your goals.

* Avoid generalizations such as I want to be happy or I want to be rich. WHAT would make you happy or WHAT would make you rich?

* If you want to be happy, write down how you will accomplish this. Will you take up a new hobby? Will you go back to school? Will you spend more time with friends or family? The more specific you can be, the better your chances of achieving your goal.

* If you want to make more money, list details such as wanting to increase your income by 10% next year.

2. Climb to Base Camp devise a plan to obtain your goals.

* Set a specific time period in which you want to obtain your goals not just someday because someday leads to a town of somewhere.

* If you want to earn a degree, knowing how long the program is and how many courses you need to take each semester is a great start.

3. Take steps to reach your goals

* What steps would you take to earn a degree?

* Perhaps taking one to two classes to begin with would give you a good idea of what to expect.

* Knowing what courses are offered indicates if the program is for you or if the classes you would be taking would interest you.

4. Achieve your goals reward yourself!!

* Once you’ve earned (or achieved) your goals, be good to yourself. You’ve earned it!!!

* If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to do or wanted to buy, do it now!!

* Be proud that you achieved your goals. This is quite an accomplishment.

Just like climbing a mountain, realizing goals will not happen in one day. But, you can realize them over time. Although your summit may seem too high to climb at the moment, know that starting will be the hard part, and reaching the summit will be your reward.

It’s time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Year’s resolutions. There is something about the idea of being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are, as well as how we would like them to be. Yet how many times have you thought back to last year’s goals and found that many or most of them were abandoned or just forgotten after a few weeks or months into the year?

Many of us have difficulty following through on our resolutions due to factors such as choosing unrealistic goals, not making them challenging enough and/or lacking the necessary motivation to stick with them. The following tips should help put you on the right course and assist you in staying committed to your most important goals for 2006.

Start with a life vision

If you don’t know what you want your future to look like, how can you decide what areas of your life need to be worked on? Spend some quiet time TODAY reflecting on (and writing down) what is good, bad or incomplete. Then try to see your life if all of these areas were addressed and had become satisfactory to you.

Get organized

Clear away clutter. Go through paperwork, files, old bills and receipts, closets, drawers and storage containers. Decide what you need and will use and either throw out or give away all the rest. Put aside some time each week for this purpose. After you have cleaned out you can think about your existing systems for management and storage and see if these need reworking or just some fine-tuning. Keep ONE calendar to record all appointments, events, etc. Write down everything- don’t rely on memory.

Expand your horizons and make a commitment to learning something new.

Challenging yourself will infuse you with greater energy and sense of purpose. It will help build your self-esteem to realize you really are capable of more than you had previously believed. This new learning can also give you additional resources to assist you in your career, personal or love life.

Set challenging but realistic resolutions

Choose goals that stretch your ability muscles, yet are realistic and therefore less vulnerable to failure. Don’t respond to that negative inner voice that says; oh, I’m not capable of that. Instead, focus on what you truly desire for your life and relationships and let this be your guide.

Write down your resolutions

Write them down and stick them on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your car dashboard, your desk or wherever you know will be a good place for you to see them. You can also show them to a good friend, family member, your coach or anyone who could provide support and encouragement.

Create action steps for each resolution; write them down, and keep an accounting of your progress for each.

A resolution without planned action is doomed to failure. Break each goal down into small action steps or objectives. Putting a date for completion will help ensure you follow through. Come up with an accountability system that will work for you. Make sure you check off each accomplishment as you go and be flexible and willing to make adjustments in your action steps in order to achieve your desired end results.

Take care of yourself; eat well. Exercise regularly and learn to control and eliminate unhealthy stress.

I know this is an obvious one, so why is it often ignored or overlooked when we are attempting to make important life changes? How many times have you said, I don’t have the time to eat right, exercise, sleep adequately, etc? Not caring for yourself will guarantee failure. So, why not make this your first and most important resolution for 2006?

Work to eliminate bad habits

Including this as a New Year’s resolution would put you on the road to good follow-through. Bad habits will sabotage your efforts and use up your limited resources of time, energy and focus. For each bad habit you decide to eliminate, have a good habit in mind to replace it with.

Set appropriate and healthy limits in all areas of your life

Knowing your limits and enforcing them with yourself and others is a prerequisite to a healthy life and relationship. Learn to say no and enough and be firm in your resolve that this is a good thing to do. Otherwise, you will also be undermining your resolution to take care of yourself.

Work to be the kind of person you want to be with

Bringing out the best qualities in yourself will help to ensure that you attract people of good quality into your life. You wouldn’t want to compromise on the standards you have set for a potential mate. Therefore, it’s important to understand that this also holds true for other people in search of relationships.

Now begin this year with the resolve to be the person you know you have the potential to be. You’ll be pleased with the wonderful changes that await you!

The alcoholic anonymous groups are out there to help people that realize that they have a problem with the drinking that they are doing. If you find that you are in need of a little help with the drinking you are going to want to say to yourself that you need help and then contact one of the alcoholic anonymous groups in your area. If you try to go to a alcoholic anonymous group with out facing the fact that you have a drinking problem you are not going to be able to receive the help that they will offer you because you do no think that you have a problem in the back of your mind even though you went to one or two of the alcoholic anonymous meetings.

If you have been ordered by the court to go to an alcoholic anonymous meeting for being caught drunk in public or even driving a vehicle you will not actually get much help from them because you did not come to the realization that you have a problem with drinking. You will actually just be wasting the time of the alcoholic anonymous group that is actually trying to help you out because you think that you do not have a problem with your drinking. You may do your time at the alcoholic anonymous group but you really did not get anything out of it in the end of your time served.

When you see that you are hurting your family and friends because of all the drinking that you are doing and are really ready to get some help for it you will want to make sure that you are getting in contact with one of the alcoholic anonymous groups so that you are going to be able to get the help that you want. However, you need to take the first step in realizing that you have a problem and that you need help to get thru it. If you take the first step then you will be able to get thru the program that the alcoholic anonymous groups will be able to provide to you for help.

When you are in an alcoholic anonymous program you are going to want to make sure that you doing what they suggest to you and even keep in contact with your group at all times. Even if you see that you are having a tough time at a gathering take time to call your sponsor so that they are able to help, you get thru the time at the gathering without a drink or you may end up with the same old drinking problem again. If you think about it, the alcoholic anonymous group is only going to be able to help those that are willing to receive the help that they are offering.

All successful people set goals, so goal setting must be a worthwhile activity to do.

One on the main reasons why people set goals is because goals focus the mind and give it something to work towards. Goals are therefore like having a destination in life, and the things you do to achieve those goals are how you get there.

Without goals you will have no destination to go to, and so will be blown around like a leaf in the wind, never really going anywhere.

How To Write Goals?

When you have decided exactly what you want to achieve in certain areas of your life, such as romantic or financial, your next step is to write this in goal format.

Goal format simply means writing goals beginning with “I have” or “I am”, so they are written as if you have already accomplished them. This tells the mind exactly what you want to do so it can start working on achieve those goals.

However if you were to write goals beginning with “I will” or “I want” then it is unlikely you will achieve those goals, as to the mind these statements will always be in the future and so will never come.

Set A Deadline

Once you have your goals written down, you must then create a deadline for you to do them by. Without a deadline you will not be motivated to achieve them, and so will most likely give up on them after awhile.

Make A Plan

After your goals have been written down you should then create a plan as to how you are going to do them. For example if your goal is to loose a certain amount of weight, then your plan would include activities you must do to loose that weight.

This can include things like exercising 4 days a week and eating healthy foods. But whatever you do, try to make your plan as specific as possible. Although don’t worry about getting it right the first time round. You can always add to it later on.

Overview

Well that’s really all there is to setting goals. It’s nothing complicated, but it does require some initial time to be set aside so you can decide what goals you want to go after, and then how you will achieve them. These are the main principles of goal setting, and if you can follow these simple steps you will be well on your way to achieving them!

Do you know what intrapersonal communications is? Many have not even heard of the word, yet it can be one of your most valuable tools to achieving your goals. Many ask, “Isn’t that like interpersonal?” No.

Intra means self, getting personal with your self. And I mean intellectually.
Intrapersonal communications is your thoughts & conversations with yourself. And the ones that can benefit you the most are the ones that use all of your senses. You see when you tell your self what you desire and see the image in your mind, you are bring clarity to your desire. When you add in your other senses, of what it feel, smell, taste like etc, you are then reinforcing the importance to yourself.

I think that in today’s society we are taught not to talk to ourselves. There is almost a stigmatism that you are some how not ok if you do. Yet, the irony is that, the successful people in the world, the ones that succeed and achieve their dreams and desires, the ones that are the movers and the shakers, talk to themselves. And they do it daily.

And what are they saying? Several things actually.

They are:
Encouraging themselves when things get challenging.
They know that it can be easy to slide into fear, worry or negativity and that it is important to stay positive. They understand it’s important to look for solutions and be open to ideas to realize that all things are possible. You can’t do this if you are bemoaning what is happening to you.
They also understand that it is through failures that we learn the best and the fastest. They see the challenges as stepping-stones to the next level and they remind themselves of that factor.

As well, they are asking themselves,

What are my goals for the year?
What do I want to accomplish?
What does it look and feel like?
What are the details?
When will this be done by?
How will I achieve this?
Who’s help do I need?

I have heard from many of them that they will go one-step further and even meditate on the questions they have until they answers or solutions come to them. And sometimes, when they see a solution, they think forward and ask, “And then what? What else do I need to know and do to succeed?”

This is one of the reasons that their success is almost assured. They know what they want and they know how they are going to get it. Their communication skills with themselves, are practiced and followed through on.

I have also noticed that people who don’t speak with themselves, will just quickly make a new years resolution and then forget about it. There is no clarity or details on what it is or how it will happen. There is no emotion or desire driving them towards it. Then another year goes by and they sit and wonder why hasn’t anything changed.

My desire for you is to choose to make 2006, the year that you make a difference. The year that you discover the value and benefits of Intrapersonal Communication. Choose now to find out who you really are. Start talking with yourself today and really get to know yourself on a more personal level.

You’ve tried everything but that “thing” you are addicted to….. and it doesn’t really matter what it is, yes I said,” it doesn’t matter what it is”!
The addiction is what you “do”, it is not the problem!
Anyway, it just won’t go away. So you start looking for external things to solve the problem. I mean things like nicotine patches, self help books, step programs or articles like this one.

Now don’t get me wrong these things can all be useful. They prepare you for the “final revelation” which will help rid you forever of your addiction.
You do deals with yourself. “If I don’t have (insert your personal addiction here) today, then I will be able to have one tomorrow” or “I am useless because I can’t control this”. “I feel so bad today I need my little helper”. Maybe, your inner voice tells you no-one understands how hard it is, or you are just more sensitive than others, or it makes you interesting, or my friends wouldn’t like me any other way or or or….

We can run in these circles for years, swapping addiction for addiction. Blaming everyone for our problems. “I was an unloved child” “My father was an alcoholic” “I have issues with commitment”. Sound familiar? Now please, don’t get me wrong. Being the child of an alcoholic is no small thing! I am not belittling it, just as I would not dream of belittling anything that someone believed was the cause of there addiction.

But, and here is the problem. If you “believe” something external caused you to set off on the road to oblivion, then you are going to need an equally powerful external tool to make you change that path. Well, it’s not going to happen! There is nothing external to you that will alter your course. Sorry, but thats the truth.
You can justify, lie, blame others and spend a fortune on self-help guru’s, until you realise one simple truth and that is this.

The secret to stopping your addiction is to Stop. Yes Stop! and the point is you won’t until you realise the answer to your difficulty lies inside you.
Fear is stopping you contacting the part of you that can help. Whatever it is you do to allay that fear, “your addiction,” stops you hearing that clever part of you.
The trick is to recognise the fear for what it is.

Understand it is standing in the way of you hearing your inner voice.
You have been tricked into believing that the fear is as deep as you can go. The fear is shallow. Make the decision to Stop, Stick with it and move on. Once the thing you are doing “your addiction” is no longer ruling you then you have a chance to work out how you got into this mess, That’s if you feel you need to? Maybe just getting on with your life is an option too?
Remember! The answer to the question is you! The secret of stopping, is to stop!

Naturally some of us are more competitive than others, but the vast majority of us have a good degree of competition hardwired into us. If you think you are not competitive in the least, ask yourself: have you ever felt a twinge of desire, jealousy or envy when looking at another person’s accomplishments or lifestyle? If you said yes, you are competitive otherwise you wouldn’t care what others have.

Now before I offend anyone let me make it clear that I am not equating healthy desire or competition with vulgar jealousy. There’s a fine line between unhealthy jealousy and a competitive spirit that pushes you towards obtaining the same as another individual has. Let’s break this down into a specific example:

First we have Joe, an average guy that struggles to pay the bills each month. One evening while watching television he catches The Apprentice, sees Donald Trump and starts thinking to himself: “I wish I had what he had. It’s not fair that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth while I sit here at risk of losing my home.”

Across the town we have Mary, another individual that is barely able to keep up with the bills each month. She is also tuning in to the abovementioned television show, and she’s thinking similar thoughts, though they have a distinct difference: “I wish I had what he had. In fact, I’m going to sign up for a real estate course and learn the business such that years down the road I can match his success.”

In the above examples, both would like to obtain Trump’s status and fortunes, but only one has a realistic shot at actually improving his/her lifestyle. Joe is practicing sheer, unadulterated jealousy, which is an ugly and self-destructive attitude that leads him to rationalizing that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In his eyes, life just isn’t fair, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

On the flip side, Mary recognizes that Trump is a savvy businessman that has made his fortunes via real estate. Sure, he might have had a head start with the properties inherited by his father, but anyone with enough determination and vision could potentially learn the real estate market and take their own slice of the pie. She is embracing her competitive spirit she wants what Trump has and she’s going to do her best to stake her own claim.

The above examples are highly exaggerated and quite frankly unrealistic for most of us as much as we’d like to become a billionaire, it’s just not going to be in the cards. But that isn’t to say we cannot become very wealthy and even hit millionaire status if that is our goal all it takes is a lot of hard work, determination and a healthy sense of competition.

Most of us would like something that another person has, and while religions and society have trained us to reject such feelings, they aren’t inherently bad. If you allow your desires to turn into jealousy and envy then yes, you are walking down a bitter and self-destructive path, but if you instead convert your desires into an honest plan to match their achievements then you’re embracing your competitive spirit.

So reach for your desires. Embrace and nurture your inner competitive spirit such that it bubbles up and guides your actions each and every day. Competition is a wonderful motivator, and few of the world’s “elite” businessmen and individuals would have accomplished their goals and achievements without a strong competitive spirit.

Goal setting is the true secret to success in any area of life. But although setting a goal may seem simple, achieving it is usually another question altogether.

Why is that?

Because you will never achieve your goals unless you: (1) know exactly what you want, (2) are passionate about your goal, and (3) have a solid, realistic plan of action. This is what marks the difference between nebulous dreams and wishes – and truly achievable goals!

Many obstacles and challenges will fly right in your face when you’re going after a goal. Here are 5 time-tested methods that will help get the success you deserve.

1. Know exactly what your goal is

Your first job is to discover exactly what your goal is. What will achieving that goal really look like? Be as specific as possible about exactly what your desired end result is. Your success will be a measure of your clarity – since an achievable goal plan cannot be created around a nebulous “dream.”

If your goal is to create a more successful business, what will that look like? Are you thinking in terms of simply hiring someone else to give you more free time? Are you looking for a very specific monthly profit? Or can your goal be best expressed in terms of a certain lifestyle?

Regardless of what you want, the best way to get it is to first clarify exactly what you want in as much detail as possible. This can be hard work. But without a clear mental picture, you’ll never have the focus required to achieve your goal.

2. Be willing to pay the “entry fee”

Success takes dedicated planning and effort. In a way it’s like building a house. In the beginning all you have is a rough concept. Then you develop a complete set of plans – and you immediately move closer to success. The same is true of creating a better lifestyle, or a more successful business.

But there’s always an *entry fee* to be paid for success.

The entry fee?

Creating more success in your business may mean less recreational time. Writing your own book may require less TV. Being closer to your children may require adjusting your work or social activities.

It’s the “full glass” deal. If your life (your time) is already full to the top, there’s no room for something new. The entry fee is carving out the time to create that something new.

3. Focus on your goal every day

I’m sure you probably want to achieve your goal as fast as possible. That’s why clear mental focus is so very important.

Consistent daily focus is absolutely necessary to “burn in” the new neural pathways you need to create your new goal. Without daily focus, the old mental habits that have kept you from your goal will continue to take over.

This happens automatically – since these old habits replay 24/7 deep in your subconscious mind. The only way to override subconscious anti-success messages is to consciously focus on what you DO want – and build new neural networks!

That’s why success is an every-day event.

Re-commit to your goal every day. Don’t let your goal take a back seat to the daily tasks and distractions that will try to take over. Life WILL try to get in your way. Just get, and stay, on course every day. Focus on your goal, and on success!

4. Get passionate

One of the most powerful tools in your “success tool box” is having real passion for your goal.

Why passion?

Because intense passionate desire for your goal will help you burn in those new neural pathways even faster. Many, many scientific studies have shown that intense emotion (passion) is a key success tool.

PLUS (and this is really a *big* plus), intense passion will also help you rapidly override any inappropriate old “failure messages” stored in your subconscious mind.

5. Take consistent action

In many ways, actually taking action can be the most difficult step. Successful goal achievement is built by taking one small action after another.

The word is ACTION!

If you commit to take at least one small action each day, your actions WILL add up and make a difference. So avoid sitting back waiting for that big second when everything will magically “just happen.”

You CAN create whatever you want in life. The secret is to determine exactly what you want, then pursue it passionately. But remember — in the end, only action counts! You can’t just dream about it! You have to DO IT!

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I believe to be the central challenge facing our society today. It’s not an original concept by any means, but more and more I come to believe that it is the key to unlocking every success principle in existence.

Discipline.

Discipline may seem like an odd thing to emphasize- but I see the results of real discipline every day. I also see the results of the lack of discipline every day. Here’s what I mean:

Think about anyone who you would consider to have “made it”. You know the person- the woman who is the number one producer in your office and also has a family that loves her and is very close. Maybe you think of the guy who consistently outperforms everyone else and still has time to take numerous vacations AND train for a marathon. Perhaps you are envisioning the manager who genuinely loves developing the team and does a great job of it. Maybe you are considering your own track record right now. Whomever the example, picture clearly why they popped into your mind as an example of success. Now, if you watched that person very carefully, I guarantee you that you will see that nearly everything they do is purposeful, focused and disciplined. They are disciplined about setting goals and achieving them. They are disciplined about maintaining a great attitude, and they’re likely very disciplined about how they use their time. You’ll notice that when it’s time to work, that individual WORKS- so that when it’s time to play they can do so freely and without baggage.

On the other hand, consider the individual who perpetually seems to get the short end of the stick. You may know someone who is extremely intelligent, or is very positive and upbeat, or perhaps has a great sense of humor and everyone loves them. Everyone either knows somebody or is somebody who seems like they should be extremely successful in Life, but for some reason they just keep struggling and scraping by. If you watch that person very carefully, the underlying cause is almost always a lack of discipline- about Goals, about their Attitude, about how they use their Time, or about how they communicate- or maybe all of the above. Either way, I notice more and more that the most frequently occurring theme in the lives of truly successful men and women is the theme of discipline. As Albert Gray says in The Common Denominator of Success, they have “formed the habit of doing what unsuccessful people don’t like to do”. They are motivated by pleasing results rather than just pleasing activities. In other words, they are disciplined.

So then what I got thinking about was the question: “What is discipline?”

Well, I had heard once before that the word discipline has the same root as the word disciple. As in “a follower”. Now I didn’t want to get all super-religious or cultish on anyone, so I started thinking about what it actually means to be a disciple. I couldn’t really put my finger on it until recently when the answer was physically handed to me in church. The sermon was called “Majoring in the Minors” and the notes at the bottom read as follows:

“…a disciple is one who stays focused on what really matters, and is careful about letting other less important issues or concerns get in the way.”

Says it all, really. Again, I’m not trying to create some Cult of Personality here. I just encourage you as you begin this day, this week, this month, Your Life- stay focused on what really matters to you- at Work and in Life. Be careful about letting less important issues or concerns get in the way. I urge you…be a disciple of your own success.

As I was driving to a friend’s house, I passed the Dublin Pub, a local watering hole known for its live music. On the reader board, one band’s name caught my eye: Spontaneous Woo.

I did a little digging and learned that the band hails from Bay City, Michigan and offers a funk/jazz blend. The term “spontaneous woo” refers to an audience response often seen during concerts in which a rising tide of enthusiasm culminates in a distinctive eruption of happy exclamations.

Now, there’s a universal human experience. There is nothing quite like letting out a joyous, spontaneous “Woo!” when things are going our way. We might personalize our woo, making it come out as “Yesss!” or “Sweeeeeet” or even “Woo-HOO!”

There’s an appropriate word for this in every language. No matter what elicits this response, we know it means something good has happened. We recognize these woos, whether inspired by simple pleasures or major milestones, as a celebration of goodness. What makes us woo tells us a whole lot about what we value, and what we value is all that is “good”.

What is “good”? How do we define it?

The British poet, W.H. Auden, said: “Goodness is easier to recognize than to define.” Isn’t that the truth!

We know “good” when we see it, just like we know when something is woo-worthy. Putting this into words in a consistent way is tough. This is where your personal philosophy comes in. Realize that your ideas of what makes a life “good” come from the people you know, the books you’ve read, the movies you’ve seen, and a host of influences you can’t remember right now.

We use “good” to describe everything from a haircut to a mathematical theory. Essentially, something is “good” if it satisfies a certain expectation we have of it–it hits the target. A “good” cup of coffee could be strong, weak, bitter, sweet, milky, steaming hot, black, organic, shade-grown, or free, depending on what you value.

“Good” may be a moving target, but Aristotle happened to like the whole idea of targets. He used the Greek word “telos” which was the term used to describe an archery bulls-eye. It’s a simple mental image–a big circle with a dot in the middle.

Teleology refers to the study of the purpose of things. Aristotle believed that everything in nature has a purpose, or target. A thing is good if it serves its purpose, fulfills its mission, or hits its target. The whole world is made up of these interrelated purposes.

According to Aristotle, our purpose is to think in order to live a good life. We’re supposed to use our brains to contemplate, to appreciate the complexity of the universe, to attain greater understanding of our role as humans, and to be happy. By fulfilling our role as thinkers, we are living to purpose-we are living a good life.

What does that mean exactly? What do we use as guidelines or markers to help us determine if we are getting close to good?

If, as Aristotle says, our purpose is to live a good life and be happy, why isn’t there some simple formula we can apply to everyone? What’s the minimum woo-quotient of a good life? Can we be happy if we’re not living a good life? Can we live a good life if we’re not happy?

How much do we need to be happy? We all know plenty of people who never seem to be happy no matter how much they have. One of our greatest challenges as humans is figuring out how much is enough.

Aristotle believed that we need to use courage, honesty and moderation in pursuing pleasure. He considered moral goodness and enjoyment in life as the same thing. He believed it was okay to pursue anything you want, as long as you don’t go overboard. This concept of moderation became known as the “golden mean”.

Not surprisingly, this golden mean became a popular idea, especially among the rich. It was just what they wanted to hear! Remember that the majority of Aristotle’s students were wealthy–who else had the time to study philosophy all day? Aristotle himself ended up being handsomely paid–especially for a philosopher!

Aristotle had his work cut out for him trying to remain moral while becoming wealthy. His most famous student, the classic overachiever Alexander the Great, clearly never got the point about moderation. Aristotle’s emphasis on the golden mean got lost in all the excitement about pursuing whatever you like.

Hmmmm. Sounds a lot like modern life, doesn’t it?

What kind of life would Aristotle suggest we live in the midst of all the stuff of the 21st century? What does moderation mean now?

Wealthy people are not necessarily more or less moral than anyone else, but they ARE tested more than the rest of us. They have the means to live an excessive lifestyle if they choose to do so. If you live large, your morality–or lack thereof–is magnified for the world to see. Add a dash of celebrity and a stint on TV, and you start serving as some sort of example.

This is where we get confused between “a good life” and “the good life”.

We’re fascinated by the choices people make when they have the ability to live any way they choose. We read magazines featuring photographs of celebrities in their homes. We watch television shows that give us tours of the properties owned by billionaires. We’re both fascinated and repelled by reality shows that offer riches to those who manipulate others.

Why? It’s because we’re curious about the choices made, and we wonder what we would do given the same set of circumstances.

Seeing the homes, the furnishings, and the cars gives us an idea of what is valued by the individual. We watch because we wonder what choices we would make if we had the same bank account. Would we be extravagant? Would we live simply? Would we be tacky or tasteful? Would we horrify the neighbors or build a better community? Would our children be kind, compassionate, and generous, or would they be self-centered brats with a huge sense of entitlement?

Would we be like Sting–or Ozzy Osbourne? Would we have daughters like Sofia Coppola–or Paris Hilton?

Most of us have the, uh, good fortune of not being tempted to live without limits. Without being fully tested, we don’t really know how we’d fare in a world of big money and bigger visibility.

The wonderful thing about living a good life is that it is possible to do it at any economic level. You can live a good life in poverty or wealth. Though we tend to think it’s a lot easier to be an excellent human when we have sufficient funds in the bank, both versions–rich and poor–come with plenty of challenges.

It’s tempting to put off becoming your best self until you believe you have the financial support to do it. “I’ll be generous once I get to the top,” you think. “I’ll be kinder when I’m not so stressed.” “I’ll give back to the community when I retire.”

There’s no dollar amount that precludes or guarantees a good life, and there’s no reason to postpone your own greatness. You may win the lottery tomorrow, or you may lose everything. Despite any dramatic shifts in your personal fortune, you can live a good life today.

Note and relish your own spontaneous woos on a daily basis, and look for ways to increase and deepen them. Think, be happy, and share that wealth in words, wit, and warmth.

The good life never felt so good.