What Do You REALLY Want?

I don't know about you, but I learned from a very early age that what I should want was: 1) To be popular with the other kids - popularity was almost the most important thing in life. 2) To be a boss of some kind when I grew up - it was better to tell other people what to do than to be told what to do. 3) To make a lot of money because then I could do whatever I wanted and other people would look up to me (to be looked up to = popular). 4) To look as beautiful as possible so that I would be admired (= popular). 5) To be educated because I would be looked up to and have a job where I could tell other people what to do and would make a lot of money. 6) To marry somebody from a "good" family (educated, money and status), that had a good job and lots of money (=popular). 7) To have a "nice" house, car, clothes, etc. so that people would look up to me and admire me (=popular). A "lot of money" was never defined so whatever you had, you had to keep getting more.

I set out in life to go after all those things, but nothing ever felt right. I thought I was just doing it badly, and I felt fearful and guilty. But you know what? I don't believe those goals would have made me happy even if I had acheived them. At my advanced age (joke) now, I have known quite a number of people who acheived those goals - every single one of them - and were a lot less happy than I was. So, the life of my dreams has very little to do with any of those goals. The life of my dreams is dreamed from my heart and has much more to do with love, peace, courage, fun, kindness and living in the now.

When I listen to people talk, they are often talking about those goals and I feel so sad because I don't believe they will be happy even if they reach every one.