“For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1st John 2:16

The hedonistic treadmill is a term used to describe a life devoted to the pursuit of pleasure that never seems to satisfy.  Shiny objects dull and new lustrous must-haves pop up to replace the faded ones, as if on an endless conveyer belt at the Willie Wonkas factory.

In the end,  you are no further along the path of happiness than when you began.

So why is it then, the home based business community seems to perpetuate this ignoble pursuit? We all know why people join us in a business:

• Time freedom
• Travel
• More time with family and friends
• Dream lifestyle

However, the images we use to display this are usually not portrayed in reality. The image below is characteristic of how we promote these concepts.

I’m wondering if real pictures could replace these illusions? For example, I just bought a new Dodge Caravan. It fits my growing brood of a family (14, 12, 10, and 8). It’s got sliding doors so the kids can jump in and out easily, plenty of legroom and it uses Flex Fuel which saves gas. It”s my Maserati – and paid for with my business income. But would it inspire someone to opt-in to one of my business opportunity web pages? I don’t know.

I do have a boat picture, it’s of me and my friends on a sailing boat in the San Francisco bay. It’s not a yacht or speed boat. It’s me and my buddies throwing down a cold Laganitas brew opened from my flip flops bottle opener, telling tall tales, and ribbing each other the way guys do. Being able to do that for me is priceless.

Enjoying the finer things in life is a blessing for me, not the end in and of itself. I’m looking forward to this coming Summer when I will travel to Europe, not to dine in the fancy restaurants or be catered to hand and foot – but to walk the an ancient pilgrimage called The Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. I’m going to take in the countrysides of France and Spain, drink local wine, laugh with strangers, and soak in life.

Perhaps, I’ll take some shots, make a little opt-in page and see if anyone enters.

“Pleasures are shafts of the glory as it strikes our sensibility.”C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

Sailing in San Francisco

 ~ Rich O’Brien

PS. Want to how Rich pays for his new sleek black Dodge Caravan Flex Fuel car? Click here