Money, Success, or Happiness? Which one is most important to you? And, more importantly, are you living your life in support of your priority? In a poll I conducted, 85% of people said they’d choose happiness if they could only choose one, yet only 30% admitted they’re currently living their life that way. Nearly 60% said they live in support of this goal “Sometimes, but not always.”

How about you?

Unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned by society, gurus, movies, television, the news media, advertising, social media, and many other factors to chase money, success, and material possessions. We’re led to believe that once we have these things, then we’ll be happy. So we spend our life chasing, competing, and constantly focusing on the future, trying to find happiness, instead of simply enjoying our lives.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

That’s what we’re taught isn’t it? Success is the ultimate goal and we must keep trying until we achieve it. There’s no shortage of books, teleclasses, seminars, and information products promising to show us the secrets to success. On the surface success is an admirable ambition and when faced with the alternative—giving up on our dreams—it certainly appears to be the better choice. However, as with anything, too much of a good thing can mean trouble. Being consumed by a goal, regardless of how noble, can blind even the most levelheaded person.

Like many people, I’ve chased success most of my adult life. I set big goals and worked hard to achieve them. I subscribed to the personal development empowerment mantra of “you can be, do, or have anything.” It’s certainly not a bad concept unless of course you sacrifice everything else in the constant pursuit of being, doing, and having more. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to me.

In my pursuit I read books, hired mentors and coaches, attended seminars and conferences, invested in real estate and other promises of passive income, and dropped a boatload of money. All in search of more success, more achievement, more recognition, more money and all the things it can buy. Until I realized that despite all the time and money I had invested, I wasn’t happier, I wasn’t fulfilled, I wasn’t richer, and in fact, I was still seeking more. I was on the hamster wheel of success, with no beginning and no end, just constantly running and trying to keep up.

Thankfully, at the end of 2009 I came to my senses. I realized I had lost myself in my quest for success and I desperately needed to find me again. I took a month off from my business and gave myself time and space to get grounded. I closed or sold all of my business ventures except one. I declared myself in a no-buy zone and stopped investing in personal development, coaches and mentors. I got back in touch with the knowledge and expertise I had accumulated over the previous 25 years and used it to rebuild my business, my way. I began following my heart and doing what I felt inspired to do, instead of chasing money and success and trying to build a business that looked like someone else’s. I started blogging about my experiences and was met with overwhelming support. It turns out I was not alone.

I’ve continued blogging ever since. In fact, I was inspired to create the Money, Success, Happiness blog where I frequently share thoughts and comment on books I read and research and news I discover on all three topics. You can visit the blog, read my posts and share your thoughts here.