I used to think that the most important thing in a man’s life is his job, his craft, and his career.
I used to believe that self-actualization comes first, above everything else.

I was wrong.

Job IS very important, however only until you reach a certain level of income. In my case, I would say $90k-$100k a year. I will eat clean nutritious food that I like. I will have money to do a very expensive sport of triathlon. I will go on a one-two-week travel trip every other month, anywhere in the world. I will drive a nice vehicle. I will have good health coverage. I will live in a decent place. Never been a big shopper, so that’s off the table.

Food, shelter, access to medical treatment, access to sports facilities and equipment, and freedom to move and travel. These are basics, in the American world. However, luxuries in many other countries. Nevertheless, once the basics are covered – a job, for the sake of making money, falls down on the second place. It is not the most important thing in life.

Currently, it seems to me that the goal of life is to live your life by doing things that bring you joy. The mastery of life is to monetize your passions. This equation consists of two unknowns: things that you love doing and things that you are getting paid for doing.

First, you got to learn yourself. You must know your strength and weaknesses. Likes and dislikes. You want to spend as much time as possible doing the things you like to be doing. Don’t waste time. 

Wasted time, in my opinion, is time spent on doing the things that you don’t enjoy. Working on a hated job in pursuit of a promised retirement. That is postponing the desired outcome, which could never come true. Spending time with people that you don’t like is also a great waste of time.

I strive to accomplish.
I want to own things.

Why?

The end result is always the same – TO FEEL. No matter what I do, I do it to achieve a certain emotional state. Anything I do, I do to experience the feeling. This is very important to realize and acknowledge. 

External things like cars, houses, jobs, titles, medals, and even travel – are the means by which I experience the feelings. External things are never the end goal. The feeling is.

Maybe I want to accomplish something to feel proud of myself.
Maybe I want to own something to feel important, seen or loved. 
I want to do something outside to cause a feeling inside. Isn’t it ridiculous?

What is the value of a diamond ring to a bling person? As a blind person, she would have to imagine what that ring looks like. She would have to convince herself that it is something very valuable, even knowing that she could not tell a difference between a five-dollar aluminum ring on her finger. What if you owned a large white house with columns and granite floors on the beach, but which you could not see? Imagine that you are a blind person, and the only thing that you could experience is the sound of waves and the warmth of the sun on your skin. Based on what other people see and tell you, you would recreate that house in your imagination. Still, you could be standing in an average beachside property, barefoot on cement, but so incredibly happy because you would’ve believed you were in a ten million dollar mansion.

The point here is that you already have everything inside of you to be happy. Your perception of things makes you unhappy. 

The trick here is to stop looking outside and turn within. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long and tough pursuit of happiness. You will spend your whole life chasing external things, that is not always guaranteed, just to obtain them and come back inside – to your feeling. Because things and titles are never the goals. The feeling is. So be true to yourself and ask: “How do I want to feel?”.

In my opinion, pursuing the feeling itself instead of something that inflicts this feeling is the way to go. 

It is not mandatory to have several million in your bank account to feel like a millionaire. You can feel it this second.
It is not necessary to have a fancy job and a prestigious title to feel proud of yourself. Be proud of yourself now.
You don’t need to have shredded abs or incredible biceps to feel worthy of love. The love must come from within.

Do you see how f*cked up your perception of reality is? You can not even comprehend how it is possible to feel like a winner without winning.   It is. Winning and losing doesn’t mean anything to those who are true to themselves and are in the race for different reasons. You can be anyone and you can be anything. The key to magic is to change your perception of reality and yourself. The feeling that you are after has to come first. That’s the hard part. You need to feel like a winner, before actually winning. You need to feel like owning before actually owning. And you know what? When you do win or you do finally own – it doesn’t really matter anymore. 

Cut the path and feel. Close your eyes and take yourself on a date. Meditate.

The act of creation begins with a feeling. Through the feeling, you will find inspiration and energy to create.
You can stop right there, but the act of creation will not be complete without taking action. 

WHAT WOULD I DO IF MY BUSINESS IDEAS NEVER WORK?

I would only pursue jobs and things that bring me joy.
I would do something that lights me up and makes me excited.
I would do my job for the sake of doing it – to enjoy it.

WHAT IF I NEVER BECOME A… MILLIONAIRE?

Doesn’t matter, as long as I enjoyed the path. If I gave it my best effort – win or loss doesn’t matter. To win is to do your best.