Picture the scene…

A beaming multi-millionaire stands beside his gleaming convertible Bentley.

Behind him is a grand mansion with a long gravel driveway, where his other expensive cars are parked.

Perhaps he’s holding a bottle of vintage champagne, or a wedge of cash.

The millionaire tells you:

“This could be yours if you succeed like me.”

I’m sure you’ve seen this sort of thing many times before…

These sorts of images are often used in marketing because they represent the ‘things’ you can get when you’re rich.

The idea is that you envy the guy (or girl) in the photo so deeply that you’ll do everything you can in that moment to get where they are.

Buy the course… get the lottery ticket… read the book…

And you’ll measure your eventual success by how much, or little, you accumulate in the process.

This is because we live in a world obsessed with outcomes.

How many social media followers you get…

How big your email list gets…

How much revenue you make…

How much profit you take home…

How large your house is…

How many admirers you have…

But is it really wise to focus on these kinds of outcomes, or use them as a measurement of your success?

I would suggest not.

Because that multi-millionaire in the photo with the mansion and the flash car might be utterly miserable, deep down.

And here’s why…

The Greatest Regret In Life Is Never a Lack of ‘Things’

A few years ago, I read an interview with Bronnie Ware, a former palliative care worker who spent 8 years looking after dying people.

She paid close attention to the remorse people expressed on their deathbeds, and made a list of the most common regrets.

Top of the list was this…

“I wish I’d lived a life true to myself, not the life that other people expected of me.”

This is revealing…

Because it shows what really matters is that we become the best version of ourselves… realise our full potential… and do what we love to do.

This goal is not based on ‘things’ we want to accumulate like money, property, cars and houses.

It’s not measured by awards, accolades or social status.

It’s not even about achieving love and respect from other people.

Yes, these can all be important.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting them or seeking out genuine ways to achieve them.

But if you focus primarily on these as your measurement of success, you’re less likely to get them.

Because really, the fancy cars… the exotic holidays… the expensive house… the social status…. the loving relationships…

These are outward signs of a much greater INNER achievement.

Why Your ‘Inner Living Legacy’ Is What Really Matters

I call it the ’INNER LIVING LEGACY’

Don’t worry, it’s not as morbid as it sounds.

It has nothing to do with what we leave others when we are gone, like money, assets, or even memories.

Instead, it’s all about the internal measurements of success that mean something important to you, and you alone.

Your sense of meaning… your feeling of fulfilment… your enjoyment of life RIGHT NOW in the moment.

It might be:

• a creative skill you’ve honed over the years….
• the courage to speak out for what you believe…
• your discipline to finish what you start…
• the ability to sit alone without feeling empty and sad…
• your love of reading and discovery…
• the pursuit of interesting ideas

These ‘inner’ metrics should be our true goals in life.

Ultimately, your aim should be to reach the top of Abraham Maslow’s famous ‘Hierarchy of Needs’, represented by a pyramid like this:

As you can see, the pyramid starts with the essentials for life, like air, water and shelter.

Then it moves up through higher aims, like property, friendship, confidence and the respect of others.

For many people, these are the ultimate goals.

They’re the ones that you see promised in advertising.

“Be the envy of everyone you meet.”

“Date beautiful partners”.

“Earn 7-figure incomes every year.”

However, they’re still goals that you achieve ‘for others’, or so that people can admire you, remember you and love you.

All well and good, of course.

But there’s one more layer of the pyramid that most people neglect…

And that’s ‘SELF-ACTUALISATION’.

It means becoming fully yourself.

When Maslow studied people that he considered psychologically healthy and high-functioning, he noticed that they were:

• Mission-driven
• Comfortable in solitude
• Creative
• Deeply absorbed in meaningful work
• Less concerned with approval

These are what I’d describe as Inner Living Legacies.

It’s what you feel and think about yourself, in private, when nobody is around to observe you, or judge you.

So how do you achieve this state of inner nirvana?

Well, the answer would take me a book’s worth of content – and, even then, if the answer were easy then everyone would be at the pinnacle of happiness and fulfilment!

But here’s one good sign that you’re on the right track…

‘The Flow State’

A few decades ago, the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the phrase ‘flow state’ in his classic book: Flow: The Psychology of Happiness.

It described those moments when people are so absorbed in an activity that time (for them) disappears.

This usually happens when you’re engaged in creative, fun, meaningful tasks.

Basically, anything you find rewarding!

And by ‘rewarding’ I don’t mean the financial gains or status you get as a result of the task, but the feeling of reward you experience in the moment.

That’s the metric you’re looking for!

Csikszentmihalyi wrote that flow happens when our attention is “invested in realistic goals, and when skills match the opportunities for action.”

So this could be a great starting point for you.

Because if you can find a home business that includes challenges you find meaningful and rewarding in their own right…

• You’re more likely to put the hours in because they’ll absolutely fly by without you even realising!.
• You’re less likely to see the tasks as ‘work’ because they’ll feel like things you’d enjoy doing anyway, so you’ll be eager to get started on them each day.
• And you’ll push through any obstacles and set-backs because you’ll feel like the business is your mission in life.

The great thing about this approach is finding your inner happy place can eventually lead to ‘outer’ achievements like wealth and status.

Because by understanding what makes you fulfilled, you’re more likely to persist, succeed, and enjoy great riches AS A RESULT.

In that sense, it’s a win-win!