If 'Money' Isn't an Issue, What Would You Do for the Rest of Your Life?

Many would agree that financial aspects play a big part when it comes to choosing your career or business.

But we all know that if we follow money too closely, meaning making it the sole determining factor in our life decisions, then life won’t be as enjoyable as it can be.

So, how do we know how to choose something we can truly enjoy doing? This thing doesn’t have to be our profession or business, at least not right away.

How do we find something that can bring us a sense of fulfillment while having fun?

Smile inside

My husband shared with me a list of his happy moments, and one of them was quite intriguing.

He mentioned that he felt a particular sense of contentment when he served home-made healthy yogurt to the boys as dessert after dinner.

He explained that this feeling stemmed from a sense of guilt he typically experienced when the boys indulged in unhealthy treats like chips or candy.

But with this healthy dessert, he felt reassured, knowing it contributed positively to their well-being. And he loves the fact that they enjoy having something healthy. Moreover, he enjoys it as well.

The example above about how my husband feels could resonate with most parents. But what's interesting to me is that this was one of his top happy moments.

I learned that examining small moments like that can reveal what a person values most.

For my husband, any activities to maintain good health is important, and if he can contribute to the better health of the ones he loves, it's even more fulfilling.

When do you feel fulfilled? What are your little moments that make you smile inside?

Answering these questions will help you discover what you truly value in life, and what you genuinely enjoy.

Afterward, not before

One of the great ways to distinguish what is genuinely good for you or merely a fleeting interest is to think about how you feel after you do something.

For example, scrolling through Instagram or Twitter can be intriguing in some ways. You are drawn to the activities and even find them educational sometimes, but at the end of engaging in infinite scrolling, you often feel empty or disorganized.

Thus, when it comes to doing social media, I choose to allocate a set amount of time for using social media intentionally, mostly for business purposes, research, or replying to comments and messages.

On the other hand, these are the activities that make me feel alive and fulfilled afterwards:

• Morning prayer and Bible reading
• Doing my calligraphy
• Family soccer time
• Going to the restaurant 'Brown Social House' on Sundays

So, it’s good idea to choose to do things that make you feel fulfilled afterward rather than the things you simply enjoy doing at the beginning.

Me plus

This is one of the concepts in Grace Lordan's book "Think Big." Basically, ‘me plus’ is the version of yourself you aspire to be.

The exercise in the book goes as follows:

Visualize the "plus" version of yourself in the coming days and write down what kind of career or business your ‘me plus’ will have and what specific tasks your ideal selves will be engaged in and enjoy doing.

This exercise will help you see not only what you enjoy doing in the present but also which direction you want your life to be headed.

It's not just about the things you do to survive, but how you want to contribute to the world by fulfilling your calling.

This question encapsulates this concept, I think: What would you keep doing, even if you won the lottery? If you no longer had to work for financial need, what would you still enjoy doing every day as your ‘me plus’.