When our existence gets reduced to solving a list of daily problems, the joy in our life disappears. That’s because we unconsciously let others control our existence.

The great American marketing machine has reduced our brains to mush and delivers messages to us 24 hours a day, 7days a week and 365 days a year. It’s telling us what we need and when we need it. This bombardment of our senses comes from newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the internet, billboards, store window displays, the telephone, etc. Anyplace your eyes see and your ears hear is used as an advertising opportunity for the great American marketing machine.

It’s so intense, that it’s the equivalent of shining a light in our eyes that is so bright, that we can’t see anything anymore. They have us to the point where we know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Our family and friends don’t help either. They are always creating demands upon us to try and make their lives easier, by having us do things for them. 

In our never-ending pursuit of a more joyful life we have allowed our finances to be overextended, given away our time and eliminated our privacy. The noise and false choices of contemporary society distract us, ensnaring us in a life of urgency rather than one of importance.

So how do we begin gaining control of our lives? There are a number of steps we can take immediately.

What’s Important?
We need to figure out what’s important to us, why it’s important and how does it bring us joy. Easier said than done. So here is a tool to help you get clarified about this. Ask your self the question – If I knew I had one year to live, what would I focus on? Make a list.  Now ask yourself – If I had one month to live, what would I do. This will help you narrow the list down to a more manageable one. Want to get real clear, ask that question again using one day to live. I am sure you will find this exercise clarifying.

What’s Not Important?
Now that you have a list of what’s important, sit down for no more than three minutes and make a list of everything that pisses you off. While some of this may be important, you are looking at everything that is causing stress in your life. You can either choose to fix it or get rid of it.  My personal coach, Dan Sullivan has a saying about suffering.  “There are two types of suffering, long and short.  The choice is yours.” The sooner we fix it or get rid of it, the sooner we eliminate that suffering.

Financial Independence
Having debts to pay is a major cause of unhappiness. It puts an obligation on our back that we carry with us everyday until it is eliminated. True financial freedom starts by creating and implementing a personal budget that includes a strategy for paying down existing debt faster than required and not spending more them we make. Imagine what your life would look like if you had no debt. What could you do with that extra money?  Could it help you achieve your goals?  Would you feel more relaxed, with less financial stress? 

Protecting Our Time
We will probably spend less than 100 years on this planet. How do you want to spend that time? All of the media, family and technology distractions impinge upon the time we have left. We have already used up a portion of our life’s allotment of years. No one can say how many years remain, yet we all know the number is limited. It’s up to us to carefully screen and evaluate every situation, request, and proposal that comes our way in terms of the time we have left on this planet and how that fits with our goal of leading a joyful fulfilling and happy life.

Protecting Our Privacy
Privacy is perhaps our second most valuable possession—because when we allow advertisers to influence us, they are infringing upon our most valuable possession: our time. Here are some simple steps we can take immediately to help protect our privacy and time:

• Block e-mails, use a firewall to keep out unwanted intruders, use software to clean your computer of adware and spyware files that track your moves and preferences.
• Turn off alerts and the ringers on phones and Blackberry’s. 
• Block catalogs you don’t want at www.catalogchoice.org.

Protecting Our Space
The world is becoming more crowded. Having more space has become more valuable. Professional organizers, space consultants, and clutter clearers are all services that didn’t exist three decades ago. Those boxes of unused stuff filling basements, attics, and garages across the country illustrate the ultimate lesson of regaining the joy in your life. Live simply! It’s just stuff, and we don’t need it all, despite what the marketers may tell us. It just clutters up our space and the way we live. Clutter is also on overload on your senses and it distracts you from the ability to focus, think clearly and make good decisions.

Slow Down
Stop trying to multitask. It does not work and it adds stress to what you are doing. Focus on what’s really important to you. Protect your time, privacy and space. In doing so, you’ll be moving closer every day to a simplified life that feels more perfect for you.

In the movie The Bucket List Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are sitting on top of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt. Morgan Freeman tells Jack Nicholson that the ancient Egyptians believed that to enter heaven they would be judged by the way they answered the following questions:
Have you found joy in your life?
Has your life brought joy to others?

You will be on your way to answering those questions satisfactorily if you remain aware of the distractions that prevent us from achieving the life we want to create for ourselves. Following the steps suggested above instead of just living to solve your list of today’s problems will give you the freedom to move towards a more simplified and meaningful life.

Ronald W. Rogé, MS, CFP®, is Chairman and CEO of the private wealth management firm, R. W. Rogé & Company, Inc. in Bohemia, N.Y. www.rwroge.com. He is also the author of The Banker and the Fisherman, Lessons in Life, Happiness and Wealth for the 21st Century, Sherpa Publishing, which is available at www.amazon.com.

Join our mailing list to receive Inspired Creations:

Link Back to Newsletter Archives

Visit creationsmagazine.com