Standards

What do I use to measure my standard of living?

That is a question I have been asking myself recently.  Why is what is important to me all that important to me anyway?  I have religious/spiritual motivations.  I have monetary motivations.  I, like 95% of the rest of us, have societal pressures with its varying motivations.  Also, within each of these areas are pressures with varying degrees of relevancy to my life.  How am I supposed to navigate these treacherous waters and determine who will win my heart?

Well, God won first and foremost, but how does that effect what I buy, what I do recreationally, what I eat, and, for the sake of this discussion, where I live?

I need to live on purpose!  It becomes very easy to just live life.  Rather I intend on going through life on purpose.  (this is probably the biggest area in which I need to work).  I have long felt this way, but putting it into action has been hard.  I should be able to answer, without thinking, the question “Why?” anytime it is asked.  Why did I buy that, eat that, do that, or live there should be easily answered questions.  I should have thought about it before I did it.  Frequently, life happens and broken relationships, a misguided career and debt just seem to have come out of nowhere!

When I live on purpose, how I judge my standard of living will be based on what is important to me.  It will not be based on what it says about my standing in society.  It may not even be based on my monetary ability.  It will be based on how effectively it helps me accomplish my goals and the purpose for which I am living.  In no way can I be judged fairly by another’s standard.