Imagine Everything By Joshua Fields Millburn

Imagine your life a year from now. Two years. Five.

Imagine living a healthier life, one in which you don’t just look better, you feel better. Imagine a life with higher standards. Imagine a life with less clutter, less stuff, fewer distractions. What would it look like?

Imagine your life with less—less stress, less debt, less discontent. What would it feel like? Now imagine your life with more—more time, more contribution, more elation.

Imagine better, more interesting relationships. Imagine sharing meals and conversations and experiences and smiles with people who have similar interests and values and beliefs as you. Imagine growing with your peer group and your loved ones.

Now imagine cultivating your passion until you can’t imagine a day without pursuing it. Imagine creating more than you consume. Imagine giving more than you take. Imagine a consistent commitment to growth. Imagine growing toward your limits and then past your limits and waiving back at your previous limits with a smile.

Imagine still having problems, but better problems, problems that fuel your growth and excitement, problems you want to face.

Imagine getting everything out of the way so you can love the people closest to you. Imagine the myriad ways you can show your love, not just say it, but really show it. Imagine holding hands and exchanging hugs. Imagine making love with the man or woman you love, unencumbered by the trappings of the noisy world around you, fully in the moment, two bodies, flesh and hearts as one.

Imagine real success. Imagine making your priorities your Real Priorities. Imagine feeling lighter, freer, happier.

What you’re imagining is a meaningful life. Not a perfect life, not even an easy life, but a simple one. There will of course still be hardships and pain and times when slipping back to the old passive world is appealing, but you won’t have to, because the real payoff is worth the struggle.

“Imagine Everything” is an excerpt from Everything That Remains, a memoir that will be published in January 2014. Twitter: @ETRbook.