Many people strive for personal freedom throughout their adult lives, and never attain it. First, they become imprisoned a good portion of their lives by their jobs. Then, after they leave the work force, they become imprisoned by retirement.

Your prosperity will grow to the extent that you do. Your feeling of prosperity may require that you overcome the fear of leaving a secure job for a less secure job, with less pay, but a lot more freedom. Fact is, feeling more prosperous doesn't necessarily mean earning more money. Sometimes it means earning less money.

Unfortunately, money is more often misused and abused than used intelligently. Most people haven't figured out how to use money wisely to truly enhance their lives. Most, it seems, act rationally with their money only when they can't dream up any more irrational ways to spend it. To be sure, financial insanity has developed its own big following including you and me.

Feeling prosperous means paying your utility bills on time and with a smile on your face. Prosperity means not only giving to the homeless person, but having a smile on your face when you do it. Prosperity also means buying fresh produce with a smile on your face instead of buying day-old bread or bargain overripe fruit with a scowl on your face. Still more, being prosperous means tipping generously with a smile on your face when the waiter has given you great service instead of trying to stiff him with a mere percent, or worse, no tip at all.

If you end up getting into a fight with someone, make sure that you win by at least half a mile.

Retirement is the beginning of life, not the end.

Have you ever considered that your perception of reality could be wrong? If you haven't, this is a pretty good sign that it is.