Why Living in Your Prosperity Zone Is the Key to Success When happiness, money and sustainability align, you're there! Take an honest assessment.

Prosperity is in the eye of the beholder.

This is an idea that you should understand. In my 20-plus years of life coaching, I've had the opportunity to teach and associate with thousands of different individuals whose earning amounts and wealth levels were as unique as their personalities. Their stated feeling of fulfillment varied as well.

Prosperity was not always associated with wealth or income. Those who made more did generally seem to be happier, but those who made the most were not always happiest. This fascinated me and I dedicated myself to research the question: Where does the feeling of prosperity truly come from and how do we achieve it?

Related: Achieving Personal Prosperity — Is It All About Money and Happiness?

I found out some interesting things along the way. First, prosperity truly is in the eye of the beholder, but that's because this eye is finely tuned and intelligent. Next, those who were completely fulfilled were living in their own prosperity zone.

Here I'll share what I've gleaned over the years to help you enter your individual prosperity zone.

What is the prosperity zone?

Prosperity comes from knowing what your individual talents, core talents and passions are, then happily creating a profitable activity around those talents and passions, and finally implementing that activity as a sustainable income plan.

Simply put, the prosperity zone is the area of balance where money, happiness and sustainability coexist in perfect harmony. It's when you are living your best life. You have goals that stretch you but are attainable because you understand your limits and your capacity. You make steady progress in your personal life, your relationships and your income. You can celebrate victories without dwelling on them. Failures are mere building blocks. And above all you are happy because you understand and feel that you're making a valuable difference in your own life and in the lives of those around you.

Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? It almost sounds fake, to be quite honest. If you had told me 20 years ago that I'd feel like this in my own professional life, I would have said that sounds great, but I think you're lying. Well, the good news is, it's attainable.

Stepping into the zone

Getting into the prosperity zone is possible, but it isn't simple. It requires honest self-assessment, motivation and a little bit a vigor. Here are some questions that will help you assess how close you are to living in your own prosperity zone. Take a moment to really consider each one.

• Is there alignment between your earning and your core (what makes you, you)?
• Are your stretch goals based on confidence that comes from focusing on what you have rather than what you lack?
• Are you making steady progress in growing your income so that you can fund your lifestyle while still leaving room for savings and investments?
• Are you happy because your actions correspond with your values, talents and passions?
• Do you have systems or networks in place to support you?
• Do you celebrate the victories, big and small, along the way?
• Are you giving pieces of your prosperity away to create value and better the lives of others?

Some of these questions may be difficult to answer honestly, but we shouldn't shy away from accurate self-assessment. In fact, many of the world's most successful people began because they were able to look at their situations honestly.

Happiness + money + sustainability = the prosperity zone

Your prosperity is linked to three key areas of your life. Your happiness, your earnings and sustainability. When these three things are in balance, you'll feel that you're prosperous.

Related: How to Create Multiple Happiness Streams in Your Life

We understand that these three areas aren't always the easiest to access or sustain, but here are some questions that may guide you along as you try to achieve each.

• Do you feel like you are moving forward? (Or backward? Or are you stagnant?) Progress is happiness. And those who are happy are more likely to move forward.
• Are you satisfied in each aspect of your life (personally, in relationships, in fitness, mentally, etc.)? Balance your happiness by balancing your satisfaction.
• Are you happy for others when they achieve success?
• Do you enjoy what you do for income? Is it aligned with your passion?
• Are you on track to make more money this year? If not, what do you have to do to earn more?
• Do you feel that you're surviving or thriving?
• Are you growing?
• Have you diversified your income sources?
• Do you have more than one stream of income?

Yes, we know. Even more questions to answers. But questions are the fountain of reason-based action, so answer them honestly.

I delve deeper into this topic in my book Prosper: Create the Life you Really Want. I believe that living in your prosperity zone is a wonderful place to be. It requires honesty, patience and persistence, but what valuable things in life don't take a little sweat. Push hard then push harder and I promise you'll find it.

Related: Figuring Out What Success Really Means to You. Is It Money and Happiness?