If there’s one goal people have in common, it’s to be happy. In our society, we think people can buy happiness. That’s why millions of dollars per year are spent on fad diets, trendy clothes, and expensive cars. That’s why we work long hours at the expense of hobbies and relationships—to earn enough money to buy our happiness.

We design our lives around making money, and then wonder why we aren’t happy when we have it. It’s because we are working too hard and not feeding our passions and interests. We design our lives around making sure the items on our to-do list get checked off, whether they contribute to our overall goals or not.

This doesn’t work. In order to live your best life and find true happiness, you have to design your life around you.

What does this mean? It means giving serious thought to how you spend your time, as well as who you spend it with.

It means spending your time with the people who build you up, not tear you down. The only person you owe anything to is yourself. Get rid of the people who treat you badly or don’t support you.

It means recognizing your strengths and passions, and then prioritizing them so that the majority of your day revolves around them. Eliminate tasks that don’t make you feel good or slow your progress toward realizing your dreams. Spend time on the things that show your brilliance, and happiness and success will come easier.

It means investing in the relationships that matter to you. Take the time to enjoy your family and friends.

It means coming up with your own definition of success, and not basing it on what others think. Don’t compare what you have to what others have. Don’t compare what you’ve done to what others have done. The bigger question is how you measure up to your own personal definition of success.

It means taking care of yourself. Eat well, get enough sleep, allow for plenty of free time, and set aside some time each day for exercise.

It means focusing on what you want, not on what your friends, family, co-workers, or supervisors want.  

Design your life around you, and watch your dreams unfold. You’ll find that you’ll be working less and making more without really trying. And that’s because by designing your life around you, you’ll no longer be blocking your own success.