Do not index
Do not index
To my fellow life strugglers,
Life is a journey filled with ups and downs, twists and turns that shape who we are. Today, I want to share a transformative experience from my past that led me to ask a powerful question—one that has the potential to change your life as it did mine. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let’s dive into this story that holds a profound lesson for us all.
A Life Turned Upside Down
On January 3rd, 2004, I was living what many would consider the dream. A beautiful home, a successful business generating $25 million annually, and a loving family. But that day, everything changed. My best friend and business partner discovered a shocking betrayal—a betrayal that would unravel not only my business but also my understanding of leadership and success.
It was all set in motion by opening a bank statement for the first time in our companies 5 year history. There was a check written to our bookkeepers husband that just didn’t seem right.
After months of forensic investigation, we discovered that our bookkeeper had misappropriated over $585,000. The anger and confusion that ensued left me questioning everything I thought I knew about my life and my relationships. It was a painful turning point.
To make things worse one of my closest friends, who I thought of as a little brother, decided to go into business with the thief to open their own company.
The Question That Changed Everything
As I sat on the front steps of my home—soon to be lost to foreclosure—I found myself asking a question that would begin my journey to recovery: “Is it true?” Was my story of betrayal, anger, and loss the complete truth? This question opened my eyes to a harsh reality: I wasn’t the leader I thought I was. I had been selfish, and that selfishness had consequences.
From that moment, I began to shift my focus from blame to understanding. I asked myself: ”Why did this happen?” The answer was clear- I was something worse than a thief, which led me to the follow up question “What needs to change?” The answer was also clear—I needed to become selfless, to serve others as I wished to be served.
I now look at the world through the lens of “Is it true?” Most of the time it is a lie.
What we should desire…
Why we should desire it…
Who or what we should follow to get it…
Once we get what we desire we will be happy, peaceful, joyful, etc.
I could see clearly now that I had the rights lenses with the right prescription to the lies I believed to be true.
One of those lies was what prosperity was. That it was a thing to get, wealth and status.
Reality, it is a way to live…
A New Perspective on Prosperity
As I embraced this new mindset, I began to experience true fulfillment in ways I had never imagined. My journey over the next decade was to redefine what prosperity really means. It’s not about wealth or status; it’s about a set of values and practices that lead to a fulfilling life.
Through extensive research and personal reflection, I identified the 7 Elements of a Prosperous Life:
1. Work Fulfillment
2. Time Prioritization
3. Community
4. Physical Well-Being & Performance
5. Leadership & Impact
6. Mental Strength & Capability
7. Spiritual Growth & Development
The Prosperity Litmus Test
To help you gauge where you stand in these areas, I’ve created a simple self-assessment tool—the Prosperity Litmus Test. This will allow you to evaluate how aligned you are with the 7 Elements.
Instructions:
- Review the descriptions of each element.
- On a scale from -10 (too acidic) to +10 (too alkaline), place an “X” where you feel you currently stand for each element.
Element | -10 (Alkaline) | 0 (Neutral) | +10 (Acidic) | Score |
Work Fulfillment - Our work gives us purpose and our job is to do it well. When our drive is too low we start to question the value of our work and when it is too high we can become obsessive. | Apathetic - you are board or don’t feel challenged anymore and feel like you are going through the motions. You are surviving, not thriving prosperously. | Sweet Spot - You love what you do knowing that it has purpose and is worthy of the effort but not at the expense of what you value highly. | Obsessive - You will stop at nothing to see your dream come true at the cost the other 6 elements of a prosperous life. | ㅤ |
Time Prioritization - How we prioritize our time directly affects our financial security. When our time seems wasted it causes resentment and when it feels like there is never enough to achieve success we can feel overwhelmed and tempted by greed. | Resentment - you start to resent the needs, costs and lack of capability of others and you feel you have to do everything for it to be done right. | Sweet Spot - You know what is important, you know when to do it and you have elevated, delegated, automated or eliminated the things you don’t do well. | Greed - The time you have is all about you and your goals without regard to other 6 Elements of a prosperous life. | ㅤ |
Community - Humans are wired to thrive in relationship and community with others. When we are lacking we feel empty or alone and when we have a surplus, we feel like there is very little connection and value. | Alone - you feel lacking in true relationships that you provide value to and value is returned to you. | Sweet Spot - You have a “right sized” group of friends and family that support you emotionally and mentally as you do for them. | Social Overload - you feel you have more people in your life to please than you can manage that are more acquaintance's than valuable community. | ㅤ |
Physical Well-Being & Performance - Our physical well-being directly correlates to our mental stability and physical capability to perform. When we are physically not at our potential we risk mental defeat and when we incorporate too much we feel run down. | Discouraged - you know you aren’t taking care of your body and feel defeated in taking action to make the necessary changes. | Sweet Spot - you feel energized and ready to perform at your optimal level physically and mentally most every day. You know when to go hard, when to rest and when you are in the “flow” and how to manage each. | Burned-Out - your body is run down and you feel tired all the time. Your thoughts are foggy and sporadic and you tend to procrastinate on getting the important things done. | ㅤ |
Leadership & Impact - affects the influence and value we have on the world around us. Too little skill and wisdom in this element and you lack impact. An abundance can lead to the temptation of arrogance and pride. | Defeated - you feel like no one listens or follows and there is a lack of loyalty when in all honesty you know you lack the skills necessary to help others achieve their potential. | Sweet Spot - People are following and value your skills in a way that they are achieving their potential due to your influence while still being humble enough to know you can grow too. | Arrogant - you believe that the results that are being achieve by others are a direct reflection of your superiority and you have become uncoachable and your growth has stagnated. | ㅤ |
Mental Strength & Capability - Our brains are a muscle that needs to be exercised to perform at it’s peak potential. A lack of knowledge and understanding can lead to excessive failures and too much information can lead to confusion that prevents action. | Failure - you feel like no matter how much action you take you are not achieving your potential but if you just get a little more experience you will figure it out and solve the problem but you never do. | Sweet Spot - You are taking time to learn and practice to exercise your brain allowing you insight and better decisions that lead to results far faster than others. | Confusion - you are a information and knowledge sponge but you lack depth and understanding keeping you from the ability to discern the right next step with wisdom and a feeling of paralysis by analysis. | ㅤ |
Spiritual Growth & Development - Healthy spiritual growth and development leads us into right relationship with our creator, our fellow humans, and the world around us. A lack of spiritual growth leads to a lack of purpose, and false growth leads to feeling superior. | Aimless - you feel like you are just surviving and not thriving because you lack clarity on what you are supposed to do and the value you have to others. You are following the way of the world instead that leads ultimately to a lack of self worth. | Sweet Spot - you are in right relationship with your creator and your fellow humans. You desire to do right and avoid wrong forcing you to have a hunger for wisdom to improve your ability to serve others and grow in character as an example of a life lived well. | Superiority - you see yourself as somehow better than others due to your relationship spiritually with your creator causing you to feel that others are lower or undeserving of grace and mercy due to their lack spiritual growth and development. | ㅤ |
Any scores in an individual element that are beyond -2 or +2 mean that we are living outside the “sweet spot” in that particular element which is likely causing sacrifice in another element. Sometimes when we are in the “building” season this can be acceptable but not sustainable for long and requires proper expectations in the other elements.
Any scores in an individual element beyond -7 or +7 mean that we are living in the extremes of that element which can cause anxiety, damaged relationships, brain fog, severe physical compromises, depression, stagnation and failure in other elements and even worse overall as a prosperous human. It is absolutely necessary to sacrifice or add something to that element to get closer to the “sweet spot”.
The Path Forward
The journey to prosperity is ongoing. It requires continuous self-reflection and a commitment to growth. By understanding these 7 Elements and using the Prosperity Litmus Test, you can identify the areas of your life that need attention and take actionable steps to achieve true fulfillment.
I invite you to join me on this journey. In upcoming newsletters, I will delve deeper into each element, offering insights and strategies to help you live a balanced and prosperous life.
Let’s embrace this journey together, and may the question “Is it true?” guide you to your own transformation.
To your success,
Jim Johnson
prosperoushuman.com
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