If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.

- Edmund Burke -

When was the last time you said to yourself, I'm living my best life right now and it couldn't possibly get any better. Have you ever said it, and if so, did you really mean it and believe it...and know it to be true? I mean really...is that your reality?

---

---

I woke up this morning, I celebrate that because not waking up means I'm dead, after a reasonably good sleep, had breakfast and coffee in my alfresco area and contemplated last week and the last few days; they've been a challenge. My thoughts felt scattered if I'm honest however I decided life was pretty good and that I don't have much to complain about...and a lot more to be thankful for...despite those [reasonably serious] challenges I'm faced with.

I delved more deeply over another coffee pondering why I felt life was my best life right now pretty good; I listed those reasons and realised each of those existed because I'd made them happen, worked towards them applying effort, consistency and tenacity throughout my life. It was interesting to note that nothing on that list was something that had simply fallen into my lap by chance and none occurred overnight; they came over time, through sustained effort.

𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆

Naturally, with any list of that nature, there's an opposing list which itemises things that have gone wrong or are not optimal; a list of failures and things I've not been able to positively-affect - sometimes outside of my control or within it. Some I could perceive as personal failures, others as situations beyond my abilities and sometimes those things are just life being life. I don't mind that list, it doesn't demotivate me; rather, it's the opposite. It tells me where I need to invest more effort and ownership, show more grit, learn and understand more...it's a road map and that's what's put items on that other list...I've worked at one to provide the other.

My life is pretty good.

Sure, I'm not sitting on my 1000 SKYDECK - by Ferretti Yachts, floating off the coast of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (pictured) with a gin and tonic in hand served by a babe in a skimpy Eres bikini whilst my business empire increases by another billion dollars...nope, I'm not doing that. But, I am living a life I created myself, a comfortable one, that I put together in the face of great adversity, through terrible moments, great setbacks and monumental failures. Do I want to be on that yacht I mention...hmm, yeah it sounds good, but rich people aren't always happy and they have problems too, often much larger ones than others, because money doesn't necessarily lead to a fulfilled and best-life scenario.

𝑶𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒚𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕

I'm not anti-wealth, far from it, but I'm more pro-best-life and know that I don't need a yacht to find that.

I don't begrudge those who have more wealth than I; I applaud it, and more vigorously if they've created it themselves, I just don't think it's productive to wish or hope for it and so I don't. Instead, I work on doing the things I can to step closer to my own best-life situation, work on learning from mistakes and failures and pushing forward again towards that best-life. For me, it's the best only way to go as it provides a pretty good life along the way and that's all we really have I guess, the journey, because the destination is...well, it's the end.

We live in a world of great disparity; some lead affluent lives, some struggle to put food in their mouths and clothing on their backs but one thing we all have in common is that we have the ability to choose, I don't mean whether we're wealthy or not, I mean choose the attitude in which we approach our lives and I believe that's one of the most important choices we can make. I'll probably never have a yacht, mainly because I don't want one, but whether I'm on my yacht or not, I happy knowing that my attitude towards life, my life, leans forward towards a best-life scenario and I think that's enough.

---

When was the last time you said to yourself, I'm living my best life right now and it couldn't possibly get any better. Have you ever said it, and if you have, did you really mean it, believe it and know it to be true?

If you're keen to offer up an answer then do so below, I'm interested to see if you're living your best life, or have done in the past, and what that even looks like. A yacht off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a happy and healthy existence, great financial wealth, a simpler life...what does it look like for you and if you do not have it, why not?