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Are You A "Wandering Generality" Or A "Meaningful Specific"? Let me ask you: Where do you want your life to end up? Do you want to utter with your final breath something like, “What a satisfying, fulfilling, and meaningful life I have lived”? Do you desire your relationship with your spouse and children to grow closer and stronger right to the very end? Do you want to leave a rich legacy of both material and non-material treasures for your heirs? Do you hope that friends and coworkers who attend your memorial service are filled with gratitude for your contribution to their lives? And do you want to walk through heaven’s gate to hear your maker say, “Well done!”? I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t give anything to finish like that.
So here’s the rubber-meets-the-road question: Do you know how to get there from here? Are you headed toward that outcome in your daily, weekly, and monthly choices, or are your values and priorities veering you off in another direction? You definitely can get there (the life you really want) from here (the life you presently lead) if you apply the Vector Principle consistently—beginning today.
Vector is a term in mathematics and physics used to quantify the speed and direction that an object is traveling. If you were the pilot of a jetliner, you would use vectors to define the course to your destination. When you are given a new vector by the control center, you turn the plane to line up with that heading on the compass, creating a new vector angle.
Obviously, even the smallest vector change in the cockpit can make a big difference in where the plane ends up. It may seem like an imperceptible change, but with every mile traveled you are farther from your previous course. For example, you could make a tiny vector change while flying between New York and Seattle and end up in Los Angeles. Some vectors require a drastic change of direction, such as taking off to the west and vectoring 180 degrees for an eastbound flight. However, most flights are achieved through a series of rather small vectors, minor turns and course adjustments that allow the cockpit crew to fly the plane from Point A to Point B.
Even if you never fly an airplane, you are vectoring through life by the choices you make. You are currently on a course that was determined by choices you have made since you were aware of your capacity to choose. Many of these choices seemed rather insignificant at the time. Do you know where they are taking you?How Do You Define Success? There are many ways by which people across all categories of gender, age, socio-economic status, and marital status vector toward success in our culture. But, many success-driven people arrive at their destination disillusioned and unfulfilled. We see it in the media frequently. Outwardly successful individuals—the rich, the famous, the powerful—become alcoholics or drug addicts, have affairs and destroy their marriages, get involved in crime, or commit suicide. Vectoring toward success doesn’t automatically mean you are vectoring toward a life of fulfillment and deep satisfaction. So your definition of success, and the way you live in pursuit of that definition, has everything to do with whether or not you experience a satisfying, fulfilling life. Below is a simple paradigm to help you understand how your choices effect the legacy in life you leave to others and to see how you can begin to live a life of influence. 
The Path of Indulgence: This is the path of self-centeredness in which living and choices are driven solely by the need to satisfy our desires and wants.
The Path of Indifference: This path is taken by those who have become complacent, having no vision for their own future. As a consequence, their experience is one of day-to-day existence with little thought as to the ultimate outcome of their life.
The Path of Influence: This path is taken by those who understand that their life will be most satisfying as it is invested in the lives of others. By taking this path, individuals are consciously choosing to experience a meaningful life, one that results in deep personal satisfaction and a Legacy that will continue to have positive influence for generations to come. Visit with Vinnie Conte,CFP at: www.contefinancial.com
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