10 Ways To Measure ‘The ROI Of Your Life’

When it comes to investing our money we want to know we’ll get that money back some day along with a positive return. There is a simple formula for return on investment when it comes to money.

But what about life?

We all face one of life’s great questions: Why am I here? What am I really measuring today that I am not happy about at the moment overall?” What do we want when it comes to investing our time, the countless waking hours we devote to our businesses, careers, education and life’s work?

Most of us just want to be happy overall. And to be happy overall we need to look at the individual elements that contribute to being happy or not happy. Then drill down from there.

In trying to figure out “The ROI For Life”, you can measure your overall happiness by creating a list of categories in the same way you would determine key numbers for a business. Start with the assumption that you can’t do better than 100 percent on any given day. Build into a simple formula the categories you feel best represent “whole living” or having a complete life.

We all have our pressures and challenges to overcome as we grow. A primary filter could be around loving what you do in work. Loving what you do for work every day tends to make everything else in life flow better, including cash.

Here are the 10 categories that may apply well to you. Total the categories and see where you are in each morning. Once you can see the big picture in that moment, you can drill down into challenging areas of life with more clarity.

During a quiet time in the morning, you can carefully contemplate each area of your life, reflect on where you are most grateful and focus on getting clear in your mind and heart about the decisions of the day.  Ask for added guidance, set more powerful intentions and trust that your decisions will work out for the best. Taking time to do this can help you feel clear in your head and heart.

1. Spirit

This measures how you feel spiritually. It doesn’t matter what your religious beliefs are. Most of us seek alignment with a higher power, and when you feel centered spiritually, then you  feel better about everything else in you life.

2. Mind

This relates to your thinking and what your self-talk sounds like. Some times you can be your own worst enemy when you get down on yourself. That comes with expectations and attachments, which can lead to disappointment. This category also relates to education, daily reading, meditation practice, clarity of thinking, presence, confidence and overall mental fitness.

3. Body

This is the measure of how you’re feeling physically. Don’t take fitness for granted. This is about feeding the best foods into your body, drinking enough water, sleeping well, keeping stress low and energy consistently stable and high.

4. Family

Talk about spiritual growth potential! Measure this category with extreme reverence, especially when gearing up for a family reunion or the holidays.

5. Artistic Expression

All humans have innate, artistic ability to think and create pretty much anything we want. The key to this lies in our ability to believe it! This is a big category for all of us if we want to keep growing our brains.

6. Social Equity

This includes friends, social reach and access. Keep this independent of family because our net worth, how we do financially and socially, is a direct reflection of who we hang around the most. In other words, who we hang around affects everything about us! Choose your friends wisely, right? This measure is important because if you are a leader you will see tons of happy people following you. If you think you’re a great leader and you don’t have anyone following you, think again. If you have social equity you have access to more people and opportunities so it’s important to measure this independent of family.

7. Income

When running a business and family finances, focus first on cash flow. This is the difference between what we make and what we spend. If we manage making money well and keeping expenses low, we create wealth. You want to be happy making money, also! So keep a close eye on cash flow.

8. Wealth

If we are truly happy in our work and productive, most of us accumulate wealth. Wealth is what we are worth on paper. It’s also how we feel and see ourselves. Money is a byproduct of many things. Wealth is a measure of how we manage our money and everything before we make a penny at work. Wealth here is about the measure of money.

9. Business/Career

This is a category most people obsess over. The happier we are in our business or career, the more likely we’ll have a higher income and the ability to build a lifestyle that’s comfortable and desirous.

10. Service To Other

Focusing on being of service to others, can give you great joy and satisfaction. Don’t do it out of guilt and obligation. Instead take on service commitments with gratitude. This is a very important measure, and one area that you definitely can get better at with time.

This is a way to measure “The Return On Your Life”. Use it as you wish. Share it with your significant other, kids and friends. Play with it a bit to make it your own. Once again, use this each morning as a gauge.  Assign a number of one to 10 to each category and then total the numbers. This serves as a powerful process and visual reminder of where exactly you can be most grateful and where you need to seek the most guidance and support for feeling better overall about your progress. Each measure impacts the whole.

Can any of us get to 100 percent? Be reluctant to assign a 10 to any single category, even though it may warrant it.  It’s good to believe there is always potential following a nine. The bottom line is to be happy and grateful. This is one powerful way to remind yourself of how blessed you are.

 

Source: SFBJ