After years of research on happiness, money, life and goals, here are some of my key findings.

Researchers from the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State declare that, in a 1985 survey, the Maasai of East Africa were almost equally satisfied with life as some of the 400 richest Americans on the Forbes list. The Maasai are a traditional herding people who have no electricity or running water and live in huts made of dung.

Goal. Realize that making huge amounts of money doesnt necessarily buy happiness. Maybe it's time to stop competing with the neighbours for the flashiest car. Money, power, fame or status should not be treated as the goal, rather as resources towards more meaning and purpose. Perhaps the goal will be more freedom, control and health in your life.

People who are truly successful look at their values and live a rich and rewarding life created through healthy relationships, personal integrity, and discovery. They are not concerned with impressing others with wealth and status.

Goal: Spending more time with family, friends and the community can be an inexpensive yet incredibly rewarding experience as opposed to watching TV or shopping. Being honest with yourself and open to new adventures certainly adds spice to life as well.

People happiest in their jobs are the ones that remain truly engaged, learn something new everyday, and have a connection with different groups and networks.

Goal: Start learning new things. Discover your passions and build on them. Seek information. This is what leads to true meaning and purpose in ones career.

Summary. Being clear on your life goals leads to a much more satisfying life.

1) After basic needs are met, money doesnt buy much more happiness.

2) Our relationships with others provide some of our greatest values and inspirations.

3) Connecting with your work and continuously seeking value adding information makes life much more satisfying.

Please consider this article for your website, blog or ezine. Permission to reprint if by-line stays intact and links are activated on the Internet.

Terry Vermeylen

I truly believe that our current lifestyle leaves us with little time to breathe and reflect on the path we are taking in our lives.

Hi, my name is Terry and I am the founder of mylifechanges.com, an online value identification and goal setting enterprise. I have a great passion for life and self-improvement, thus I created this website to share my passion and to move people to improve their lives by living through their core values and setting lasting goals. My own personal core values include passion, wealth, beauty, action, compassion and appreciation. My primary passion is wealth building using common sense.

My idea for the website started with my passion and study of philosophy, psychology, self-improvement and business. I own and draw from an extensive collection of books on all these subjects. I also enjoy writing and will be publishing a newsletter focusing on value and goal setting, as well as a number of other self-help subjects. I have worked for three major corporations in a wide range of jobs and also clearly understand the corporate world. Most recently I worked as a business analyst performing process improvement.

It takes about 30 days to break in a new habit, so My Life Changes is an in-your-face, self-motivating tool, with bright colors highlighting each day taken towards that new goal, habit or choice.

My Life Changes has added on a timeline section, journal and e-mail reminders as complementary tools to your quest for a better life. A prototype of My Life Changes was used for over a year before settling on the current design. It has been a genuine labour of love.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions concerning the web site or any of my self-improvement philosophies. I will be more than happy to answer.

All the best,

Terry Vermeylen