Personal Prosperity

The dictionary defines prosperity as "The condition of being successful or thriving; especially:  economic well-being."  Many people tend to think of prosperity in terms of money, that if you are prosperous, you have money, and if you don't have money, you aren't prosperous.  But while prosperity does have an inference of money, that isn't it's core definition.

Success isn't always defined by how much money you have.  If you are a successful artist, you might be quite happy and feel very prosperous to have fame but no fortune.  If you are devoted to helping others, you may judge your prosperity by how many people you can serve, not by your own circumstances. 

And thriving can mean so many different things!  You might be thriving if you get to spend hours every day, alone in nature.  You might thrive by spending your days, in the library, surrounded by books, doing research.  You might thrive when you help teach children life skills as a volunteer.

Prosperity is self-defined, as many things in life are.  It is not a one-size-fits-all definition.  What might feel extremely prosperous to one person might feel very scarce to another.  Prosperity can encompass service, time, devotion, money, land, friends, animals, luck....any number of things.

In many ways, I have very simple tastes.  I feel prosperous when my needs are met, even if I don't have a lot of excess.  I love stuff, but shiny stuff is bonus to me, and I tend to judge freedom more strongly when thinking of prosperity than I do owning things.

Gifting makes me feel prosperous, being able to share what I have, whether it is time, money or service, with other people.  Helping makes me feel prosperous, even if it is by simply giving advice or listening.

Having time at my disposal definitely makes me feel prosperous!  Knowing that, if I want, I can clear a day and do whatever I want (or nothing at all), make me feel very prosperous. 

But luxuries also make me feel prosperous.  I love having money to spend on whatever frivolous thing might strike my fancy.  And sometimes it's not even about actually spending the money, but that I could, if I wanted.

Given the choice though, of time or money, time fills my needs more than money.  Food satisfies me more than clothes.  Books more than tv/videos.  Knowing what makes your life feel full and bountiful lets you manage your resources to have those feelings of prosperity.

And prosperity is definitely a mindset as well!  When you feel prosperous, you see the world as bountiful.  You tend to focus on the areas in your life that are full and overflowing, and not on the places where you might be a little threadbare.  And this again goes back to what fills you up personally.  I really don't care much for a fancy or varied wardrobe, but I know people for whom this is a huge thing and without it they just don't feel complete.  I can focus my attention on other aspects of my life, and still feel bountiful, while someone else might rather eat the same foods all the time and not miss that variety.

Reset your thoughts on Prosperity, and break free from the idea that it's all about money.  It might still be about money, at least in part, for you, but it might be so much more.  Look around you, look at your life, and see where your bounty lies.  See what things make you feel full and what things make you feel empty.  And shift your focus to bringing in more of what makes your life bountiful and don't stress the other stuff!  You may surprise yourself in how prosperous you actually are!