Now I realise that success should not be measured in material gain. Giant homes, diamond rings, oil fields and speedy yachts parked in Monaco for the winter can’t make you happy unless you have friends, family and time in which to share the joy (these are just some examples, feel free to define your own idea of material gain). And I personally think a small backyard BBQ with awesome people is one of the best ways to spend a Friday night, and that really costs nothing except an investment of time (to cook & clean) and organisation (to get people to bring along a pot-luck dish), and a little bit of cash to buy the sausages & salad.

So please, don’t get me wrong when I say the following:

This chaise lounge is like sitting on a cushion of happiness, and together we float in the living room as the fireplace warms, the sun shines, and the walls whisper into my ear with their deep red tones. (A bold paint choice, no?)

This is my dream living room. Thankfully it’s also my parent’s house. And I think, one day soon, it’d be nice to have a similar place that makes me feel this cosy. (My old flat in England came quite close with our green sofa and giant windows . . . But then I was incredibly allergic to that place after the mold incident, and the “double glazed” windows leaked with British cold.)

Anyhow, while material goods aren’t the be-all and end-all. They are quite nice on a cosy December afternoon by the fire, and I think there’s nothing wrong with wanting a little piece of heaven in your living room. So long as it doesn’t get excessive. (i.e. No diamond studded coffee table. Although to be honest, I’d very much like to have two homes – thus exceeding what most people would consider sufficient. I’d love to have a place in Ottawa and a place along the shore of Lake Balaton. That would be awesome. The excess is debatable.)

But in order to achieve any kind of material gain, we first need to have long-lasting splurges of success. That basically translates into ‘make money’ – which sounds a bit . . . hmm, unromantic, but it’s the freaking truth. And so for the past week and day (including today) I’ve tried to be more productive than normal.

Here’s my routine. It helps prevents rising entropy (my natural-and-hard-to-resist tendency of personal disorder). Right:

1) Wake up at a reasonable time.

2) Tidy the house. (Every morning there are grocery bags to stick back into the car. How do they keep on getting inside? )

3) Eat breakfast.

4) Get on the elliptical and exercise. (BURN ESTROGEN, BURN!!)

5) Take a shower.

6) Go out and write. This generally results in my visiting Starbucks. Today I tried the library but the chairs are all facing the window and it blinded me as I squinted at my light-reflecting computer screen. So I packed up my stuff and went over to the coffee shop. Notable: coffee shops are a constant trend in my life; places of both comfort and inspiration, plus cups of delicious tea!

7) Come back to the house and make lunch for my family.

The rest of the afternoon is left for the distractions. There are always distractions like cooking, cleaning, ‘responsibility’ing, visiting, tweeting,  job searching, blogging (yes, blogging is distracting. Lovely, but it doesn’t help my novel-writing progress), etc. You never know what the afternoon holds.

And while this routine-following doesn’t directly trigger a cash parade through my bank account, it nevertheless leaves me feeling AWESOME, and feeling AWESOME is great.  (I guess success is really more of a feeling, rather than a measurement of ‘where you are’, no? Today I feel successful. Not much has changed in my life, except that feeling, and about 300-1500 words per day of writing.)

So I’m going to try and stick to my pattern. It makes me feel productive, and that’s a powerful thing – I’d even say it’s better than this chaise lounge. Way better. Although the chaise is a beautiful piece of furniture.

Anyhow. Here ends my brain ramble. Have a wonderful, productive day, and may you be filled with a sense of success.

Finger crossed the routine continues!