Staying grounded while dreaming big

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt

Be a dreamer. Set lofty goals. But no matter what the outcome, stay grounded. Remember your roots – where you came from and who your true friends are.

As you gain success, popularity, and prestige, people will treat you differently. It will feel good. But just like there are bandwagon fans for sports teams, there are people that will jump to support you when everything is going well and run away/speak negatively of you when things are going poorly.

No matter where you are in life, always treat people with respect and never compromise your values.

Keys to happiness

I find that I’m happiest when I’ve lived a fully balanced day. Living a “full day” includes the following:

1) Doing something challenging mentally (consuming/creating content, working on a project, etc.), physically (working out or using my hands/body to create something), and financially (setting my family up for future success by doing a money-creating or money-saving activity).

2) Spending time with family and friends.

3) Resting…taking time to relax, preferably in nature. Imagine watching the morning sunrise, going for a hike in the woods, or looking up at the stars at night. If you could do one of those three (let alone, all three), that would add to a great day

4) Doing something nice for others.

Most people think that not working is the key to happiness, but I disagree. You don’t necessarily need to have a “job,” but you should always be working hard towards a goal. You need to have exciting goals that give purpose and meaning to your life. If you sit around and do nothing all day you’re going to feel lazy. You won’t find lasting happiness after binge watching movies and eating too much pizza and ice cream. It might give you temporary satisfaction, but that will quickly fade when you regret making those decisions.

If you take care of yourself and spend time with those you love, it will be a great day.