Health,
wealth and happiness.
Aren’t
those the ingredients we have been told all our lives were required in order to
have a quality life? Well, that may have been the perfect formula decades ago
before workplaces became stressful and pressure started coming from all
directions to outperform, live lavishly and drive the biggest car in the
neighborhood.
But
what about the rest of it? Let’s take a look at what it really means to have a
quality life in today’s world and you may be surprised to learn that maybe you
are on the right track after all.
1 – Health
This
is a biggie. If you have bad health, not only will it impact your quality of
life, it has many ripples that can affect the people around you. Health as far
as we are concerned included both mental and physical shape. There are some
conditions and diseases you can’t avoid completely if they are hereditary,
however, you still have the power to make changes to your lifestyle that will
add years to your life and improve the quality of your life.
The
lifestyle changes that can improve your mental health will revolve around your
daily environment. If your job, relationship, friends or life in general stresses
you out to the point where you are sick, you need to make some changes. It may
sound like a huge step to take, but if your health is being affected, you owe
it to yourself to take that leap.
If
you smoke, over eat or tend to be sick a lot, these things you can control.
Again, if any habit or situation you are in causes you to be ill in some way,
you need to make changes. Even light exercise can have a lot to do with your
overall wellness. Once you start feeling good about yourself, your mental health
improves. When that happens, you are more likely to make more changes to
improve your life.
2 – Wealth
There
was an interesting question posted in an online forum not long ago. It asked,
“Would you prefer to be rich and miserable or poor and happy?” Times have
changed so much in recent decades where it is very easy to get caught in the
trap where you have no choice but to work long hours just to exist – not get
ahead.
Riches,
however, come in many forms and are not always in dollar signs. If you can live
a quiet life with enough money to pay all your bills and still have a little
bit left over each month, then possibly you have found the trick to enhancing
your quality of life. If you make barely enough to cover your bills and have
tons of debt, maybe you need to make some changes.
For
many, the key here is balance. There is nothing wrong with having debts, it is
what that debt is funding that matters. Debt to fund consumption spending is
undesirable, but debt to fund Income producing assets may be desirable. After
that, it’s how you manage the debts and keep your stress down, and your bank
accounts improving that matters.
3 – Happiness
What
you do in your free time has a lot to do with your quality of life. If you have
few friends and no hobbies, chances are your life is not as fulfilling as you
may think it is. When you fill your days with interaction with people you love
or love to be around, it does something special. It fills your body with
endorphins which make you happy.
We
all have different activities that help us enjoy our lives. It could be
fishing, reading, gardening, socializing or playing sports. It can be anything
that you enjoy doing and enjoy sharing with others when the time is right. Even
while you are developing your financial base, you can still do things that make you feel
good. For many that comes from giving back to their community. Volunteering is
a great way to find happiness and it is healthy for you as well.
So What Makes A Quality
Life?
