A Vision for a Live Better than a Billionaire on Five Dollars Extra a Day World

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so.

I'm delighted that so many of you read and enjoyed yesterday's post. Thank you!

In the Bible it says that "without vision, the people perish." It occurred to me that I haven't shared my vision with you of what the world would look like if people were pursuing the principles of living better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day. Let me correct that omission with today's post.

On the surface, living better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day seems to be all about a focus on the material by making the acquisition of the material easier to accomplish. A skeptic might suggest that this is simply another way of scaling down the best into the mass market, like McDonald's does with hamburgers. That suggests a dilution of the benefits into something that's serviceable . . . but not terribly desirable.

That characterization is wrong. Instead, what I'm focusing on is creating the good life . . . and simply extracting unnecessary costs, distractions and annoyances from the pursuit and enjoyment of the good life.

The live better than a billionaire person isn't just a consumer. This person is also a doer who makes a difference in the world. In future blog posts I'll talk more about that. You may recall my earlier posts about how to do more than billionaires Bill Gates and Larry Ellison to improve world health by spending a few hundred dollars.

What are the positive values involved?

You can boil many of these values down to the Golden Rule -- Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. What's new is seeing a personal responsibility to develop one's skill in this area. In that way you can help more people, more rapidly and in more ways. As you help others, you will be helping yourself by both creating a more desirable world and by making yourself a more valuable and appreciated part of that world.

The values also include looking out for the potential to play a positive role for yourself and others . . . rather than being seduced by self-indulgence. Let's consider the Internet. According to some experts, most people use the Internet primarily to watch pornography, gamble, steal copyrighted material, arrange for illicit sex, and sell questionable services and products. That's a lot of self-indulgence. But there are also people who primarily use the Internet to share helpful information, to offer free help and to inspire others. As this example shows, we live in a world where we can focus on the positive or the negative. By choosing the positive, you can create a more beautiful, more meaningful and more satisfying life. Depending on your religious beliefs, you can also build a life of greater spiritual significance.

Finally, the values also suggest a respect for making the most out of what you and others have. Think of this value as one of conservation of time and resources. Most people on Earth lack many of the basics. Yet by each of us using what's available in the most effective and efficient ways, everyone could have more than what they need . . . they could have what would fulfill them to reach their highest potential.

What activities will the live better than a billionaire on five dollars a day person pursue? It will vary with each person, but here's a list worth considering for most people:

1. Set goals to achieve your highest potential.

2. Develop plans and capabilities to reach that potential.

3. Help others to do the same.

4. Spend time learning from those who are most effective in these activities.

5. Share what you learn.

6. Daily review the negative influences on your life . . . and seek ways to remove them.

After you've been doing this for awhile, what will life be like?

That's harder to answer because people value different results. Let me speak for myself instead. During an ideal day, there will be freedom to decide how much time to spend building your life . . . rather than earning a living. There will be as much time as you want to be with your family and friends. You will also be able to access those who interest you for intriguing interactions. You will be able to seek out the locations that inspire you the most and gain much emotional strength from those connections. You will craft great experiences that will bring special joy to you and others through lasting memories. You will meet new people who bring you great happiness and help you learn exciting new ways to accomplish more in less time. Each waking moment will focus on some positive way to improve your own life and the lives of others. And it will all feel relatively effortless because your life will be filled with so much meaning.

Now how could simply being a billionaire possibly outshine that sort of day? The billionaire who inherits her money may have a day filled with boredom and trivial activities associated with maintaining the money. The billionaire who has earned her money may have a day filled with high-risk angst as large bets are placed that put her very wealth and life at stake as Richard Branson does with his many risky new business ventures and balloon flights.

I welcome your comments on this post . . . especially your ideas about how to improve the vision.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell