Nearly 50 million Americans ages 12 and older used drugs in the past month. Roughly 65% of young men (and 18% of young women) have reported watching pornography at least once a week, and an estimated 40 million Americans visit porn sites regularly. Over 16.5 million Americans have a shopping addiction. Up to 80% of Americans hate their jobs. And 30-60% of married couples will cheat at least once in their marriage.
These are sad numbers to say the least. Our country is plagued with sadness, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. And the statistics continue to worsen year after year. People will turn to almost anything to escape, even if for just a moment, from the life they are living.
At a fairly early age, I took an interest in the topic of success and failure. I noticed that some people were consistently successful, while others appeared to flail through life. And it wasn’t just financial success that caught my attention, as it became clear very quickly that there wasn’t a direct correlation between money and happiness.
What really caught my attention was how most people were successful in one area of life, but were failing miserably in another area. They were very successful financially, but their marriage was a disaster. Someone else had a job they loved, and a solid family life, but couldn’t manage their weight and struggled with health issues. Others were friendly, loving, caring, and very active in their church, but struggled with money, always needing help financially.
I wondered… can you have it all? Can you have a loving, passionate marriage, a strong, fun family, a job you actually look forward to going to each day, financial security, and a strong spiritual connection. I believed it was possible.
As with any endeavor in life, success starts with the belief that it is possible. That belief must be followed up with specific goals. And those goals must be followed up with massive action. My primary goal was to create a life I loved living. One that I didn’t want to, or need to, escape from.
If you find yourself constantly feeling the need to escape the life you’re living, it’s time to make some changes. It could start with listing the areas of your life, then giving them a grade. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best, what number would you give to your job? Your marriage or relationship with your significant other? Your body or overall health? Your finances? Your hobbies or other interests? This simple exercise can be eye-opening, and a great way to know where to start.
While it is hard to maintain a 10 in all area of life, you need to be striving for a minimum of 8. And where you score the lowest would be a good place to start. And being realistic will be very helpful. If your job scores a 3, figuring out how to make it a 5 is reasonable. If your health is a 4, work to bring it up to 6. This is a simplified strategy, but it is very important to get a sense of where you are at. Most don’t even realize just how bad things are. It is easy to become complacent with mediocracy, or worse.
It isn’t worth simply accepting misery in any area of life. And having greatness in one area, but misery in another, is not success. Many of the bad habits and addictions and the need for escape can be overcome. Your need for drugs (including prescription drugs), alcohol, excessive shopping, porn, sleeping in super late, or even longing for the weekends, are all signs that your life is not in balance. Your primary goal should be to create a life you don’t need to escape from. This is your life. It is short. Stop wasting it with just getting by. Stop accepting less than great. And stop relying on short-term, dangerous, expensive, and non-productive escapes. Start working to have the life you were meant to live… the life you once dreamed of… and the life that you deserve.