How to Make the Most of Life
(article for millionaires)
How to make the most of life, to live/leave with no regrets. For some it is inferred early on that one must have money to have as many options as possible. Once one has achieved this, it is up to the millionaire to make the best choices for the most fulfilling life one can.
These kinds of choices are a reflection of our values. And our fulfillment depends largely on the profundity and validity of our values. Owning a yacht or beautiful mansion reflects one’s love of nature and the sea, the mansion may be there to create comfort, shelter, and beauty. It can also serve as a space for socializing and enjoying relationships. One might reflect on one’s values and whether one’s current life is realizing those values. And to what degree one’s default mood is happy.
The complexity of human life is such that our happiness can waver from moment to moment, depending on so many different and differing factors. So, I am speaking more of the joy within rather than our passing happy and sad feelings. It’s more about being in alignment with your true self, in your power, so to speak, realizing your authentic self, your true calling.
Making money is like a game but with real life consequences, and Life is the bigger game. You are a winner in the money game once you have amassed a fortune. But to be a winner in the game of life is another matter. To win at life, you must live to the fullest and harvest the gems that life offers. The quality of your relations could be what is most important of all along with realizing your fullest potential. Aligning with God or the Universe or the ephemeral is another level that one may wish to achieve. This has to do with being Love, the embodiment of love, being able to love unconditionally with gratitude and with the understanding that all is sacred.
These are what I strive for beyond the sensual pleasures that we might enjoy on a daily basis. To meet all of our physical needs, food, comfort, and orgasm, which we share with all living creatures is important, but I am speaking more about our human needs that are in the spiritual realm.
This led me to start an intentional community when I was 67, also called an eco-community. Now, it’s 10 years later and the community is always improving to a large extent. It is challenging a lot. But also, greatly rewarding. I live in beautiful nature, we have cultivated much of the land for vegetable gardens, medicinal plants, flowers, and fruit trees. We have made a small swimming lake, and the drinkable Chamba river runs along one entire side. We have a well equipped carpentry with many machines and tools. And a fully equipped and covered outdoor stage. We have many amenities and currently only 7 residents, 2 children, 6 volunteers, 6 workers, 2 wild ducks and one wild goose, chickens, one burro, two sheep, one dog, and a few cats. We have 5 and a half hectares (2.4 acres to one hectare). Most of the land is flat, which is rare in the Andes in Ecuador. The climate is spring-like all year around. We live together mostly harmoniously. We are always deepening our relations.
We have built 27 structures, our specialty is alternative construction using natural elements. We are 10 minutes by taxi to our little pueblo which is home for many foreigners and local Ecuadorians, with an estimated 7000 people.
While I should have started earlier, I started following and manifesting my dreams the year I retired in 2000. Our community is the most difficult kind, because to succeed, that is, to continue to exist, we must have only people with noble characteristics, like personal integrity, humility, non-violent, respectful, considerate, kind, all the good things that you can imagine. This is the tricky part, because people have trauma, have been propagandized, and can change. Therefore it usually takes about a year to become a resident. People need to be 100% committed to the community.
There is individualistic and collective freedom. Individualistic is how it is when one doesn’t live in a community. Collective freedom is what we have. First, we must take care of the daily needs of the community, after that we are free to do whatever we want that is within the vision of the community, i.e. wholesome activities and non-violent.
We need people with skills, carpentry, handyman, agriculture, technical, artists, and musicians, etc. The foundation is love and connection. We have endless possibilities and many projects. I often wake up in the middle of the night and write down ideas of things that I want to do the next day. I might have 20 to 30 different ideas. Each day is so rich and fulfilling. I can practice unconditional love simply by serving the needs of the community, while being an activist for our pueblo, country, and the world.
Founding a community is not for everyone. You can’t be a control freak. People need to live with dignity and that means freedom with responsibility. There is no hierarchy here. I am not the boss and have made the community a cultural foundation that can not be sold and am no longer the owner.
I feel unusually young for my age and engage in all kinds of activities. I am really busy, usually doing things I love. I know I made the right choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aopmklhT88
