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Writer's pictureCalvin

The Five F's

I recently heard from a fellow Toastmaster about a good formula to see if you are living a balanced, successful life. She calls it the 5 F’s. Faith. Family. Fun. Finance. And Fitness. And not in that particular order. I don’t know why, but those 5 F’s really resonated to me.


I felt like they were a good guidance on whether I was doing what I should be doing in life. And I’m happy to say that so far, I have all my bases covered with regards to those F’s. It’s not the end all be all. It’s not the Ten Commandments after all. But, it serves as a good guidepost to see where you are particularly in life. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.


If you are living a balanced and fulfilling life or not. Faith means your spirituality and believing in something greater than yourself. It doesn’t have to be religious. It’s just finding a purpose greater than little old me. Family is the importance of having a healthy family - whether it be your husband, wife, parents, kids, or grandkids. Fun is about finding fulfillment and general well-being. Finance is getting your fiscal status in order and having a good personal finance strategy. And fitness is keeping up with your physical well-being and nourishing your body and soul.


Again, it’s not the end all be all. But, I feel like I’m doing relatively well so far. I’m not perfect by any means. I am not uber rich like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. I’m not severely jacked like John Cena. But I’d like to think that I am doing relatively well in regards to life. Of course, there are still things that I want to “have”. And things that I want to improve upon. And there’s nothing wrong with that.


But, I also think that sometimes you just need to stop “striving” for bigger and better things and appreciate the simple and the mundane. Look in front of you in the present moment and realize that there is already a lot that you “have”. Your friends. Your family. Your health. Your passions and interests. They are all what makes you you. And they leave a healthy impact on your life.


And I am thankful that I am living a relatively well yet imperfect life. But one that I am thankful for. I’ve been trying to go to the gym around 3 to 4 times per week to get my fitness in order. I’ve been hanging out with friends and going out to movies and restaurants with them to appreciate some good old entertainment. I keep in close contact with my parents and am thankful that I have a healthy drama-free relationship with them. I have a relatively healthy financial investment portfolio that I keep an eye on here and there (but not every day). And I practice spirituality thru meditation, Dharma Talks, and philosophy classes.


So, that’s just a snapshot of my current life as it is. It’s not the end all be all by any means. But it’s something to start out with. I think the next level I can take is to give back to the community. To find time within my busy professional and family life to give back to the New York City area. And I’m trying to do that as well.


But, one step at a time. Baby steps. No need to bite off more than you can chew. And I think as people, we should be thankful to be living a healthy and happy life. In general, not everyone is going to have all 5 F’s covered. Maybe you will be covered in just 2 or 3 of the F’s. And maybe you need to improve on a couple other of the F’s. But that’s fine. Nobody is perfect. No life is ideal. It’s just about putting in the time and effort to make sure that you are living a purposeful and fulfilling life. And being grateful for every moment that you’re given.


Every morning when you wake up is an opportunity to give back to the community. An opportunity to have fun. An opportunity to leave a positive impact amongst your friends and family. And an opportunity to just appreciate this world that we live in together. Every breath we take is another chance to strive and thrive.


So, again, the 5 F’s are not the end all be all to measuring your state of well-being. It’s just a guideline to make sure that you have what it takes to lead a successful life. If you are missing a few of the F’s, then it’s a good chance to recalibrate your life and set some goals to improve upon yourself while enjoying the process as a whole. And I’d say that not everyone has all 5 F’s in place. And that’s okay.


Just do your best. Practice gratitude. Stay within the present moment. Invest in your friends and your family. And realize that we are all living in this world together trying to make a difference and leave a positive impact. We are trying our best to be responsible. Most importantly, we are trying. And if you fail sometimes, that’s okay. Just practice resilience and get back on the horse to try again.


We live and we learn. And every morning. Every breath. Every hour. Every second is an opportunity to practice the 5 F’s, and to build a better life for ourselves and for the future.

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