Has life turned out different than you planned?

 
Has success passed you by?
 
Or, now that you’ve “made it”, is there still
something missing?
 
Is happiness even possible? And if so, what does it look like? Our culture and market place is full of answers.  “Faster horses, younger women, and more whiskey”, or some variation of the same, is the common theme. But everyone knows, when they take the time to think about it, how shallow that answer is. Either we never have enough money to get there, or when we do it’s not enough; it just doesn’t feel as good as we thought it would. Even doing our “duty”, being responsible, leaves us feeling empty and let down, looking for more.
 
The purpose of this website is to help searchers find the answers to these questions. Not to give answers, but to help you discover your own. And just as importantly, to help you put a plan together to make it happen. In so doing however, it is helpful and important to remember that “success is a journey, not a destination”. So where ever you find yourself on this adventure, that’s OK. The key is simply to keep moving … in the right direction of course.
 
But what is the right direction? How can one know what it is that really is missing? To figure that out, let’s start at the beginning. Ancient philosophers held that the human being consists of a mind, body, heart and a soul, sometimes called the Cross of Life. Whether or not one believes that to be true, it makes a good place to start when looking for that missing piece of the happiness puzzle. Using that model, unhappiness would be the result of neglecting one or more of these aspects of human “being”, resulting in a void or imbalance. The following quick quiz will help identify areas that may need attention.
 
 
Body

1. Are you physically able to work and play as you wish?
2. Do you know how to prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s; and do you practice what you know?

Mind

1. Are your bills paid and your retirement cared for?
2. Is your work consistent with your life’s purpose, and do you know what that purpose is?

Heart

1. In times of crisis, do you have someone you can count on?
2. When you enter the room, are you greeted with warm genuine smiles?

 Soul

1. When you consider Eternity, are you comfortable?
2. Will you be remembered as one who gave more than you received?

If you answered "yes" to all of the above questions, then you probably are not feeling too stressed out.  However, you might want to go back and look them over again, this time asking yourself if it's true all of the time, or just part of the time, and if there are any exceptions, are they worth concidering.  I doubt whether anyone can answer "yes" to each of those questions all of the time.  That's why "life is a jouney, not a destination", and life balance is a constantly moving target.
So what can we do when life doesn't pan out the way we planned, dreamed, or expected?  Well that obviously depends on where the imbalance is.  Hopefully the preceeding questions have helped you identify where that might be.
At the top of this page you will find links to four critical areas with some sub topics that I hope will help you discover how to get your life in balance.  These four areas - Know Yourself, Know Your Purpose, Know Your World, and Know Your God - make up the four arms of what I call the Cross of Wisdom.  A truely wise person is one who has learned to reexamine everything he or she knows to be true.  To ask questions.  And follow the path these questions lead to.  If something is missing from your life, don't expect to find it without making some changes.  And all change starts in your mind.