A couple of weeks ago I finished a book called Life Focus, written by Jerry Foster. The book is about achieving a life of purpose and influence (that's the subtitle). This has been and always will be a hot topic for people all over the world. Everyone wants to have a purpose on earth and make a dent in history. It's human nature.

There is so much in the book that I figure one measly blog summary is not going to cut it. I've decided to split up my book review in several different parts so that we can go a little more in depth on each principle.

Some of you may be wondreing, "Why in the world does Griff choose to blog about books having to do with life focus when this is a personal finance blog?" To answer your question, this blog and website is all about finding financial freedom. And I believe that the journey to financial freedom encompasses so much more than just your money. When you are financially free, you live a life of influence - influence that benefits others. Let's review the definition of financial freedom:

The state in which a person is free from the control of money and alive to use their time and gifts in a way that advances their life's priorities and allows them to serve others abundantly. A person striving after financial freedom views money as a temporary tool where a sufficient amount is enough and an excessive amount should be given away.

Financial freedom - That's a life of purpose and influence.

Ok, let's get started.

Foster starts off by talking about success. People pursue success in many different fashions. For some it means finding success in money. For others it may be achievement, prestige, fame, power, or just pure happiness. But the problem with these paths of "success" is, well... do I really need to go into that? Just look at Hollywood. Moving on.

The majority of the book talks a lot about balancing your life. Not only does that apply to time and money, which we will get to later, but balancing all areas simultaneously. He describes two different lives. The disintegrating life and the integrating life. Here's the difference between the two:

No doubt you see yourself falling into both categories. I sure do. The key to placing yourself fully into the "Integrating Life" is to first confront the areas in your life that need work. Take note of the things that are disintegrated in your life and vow to change them in the near future. Remember, one of the qualities of the integrating life is "Lives proactively." Be proactive today in order to see your life focus tomorrow.

Some of my favorite quotes from the first part of the book:

• "Because success by most cultural definitions is like a drug, once you experience the high, it soon wears off and you have to go higher."
• Japenese proverb: "He is poor who does not feel content."
• "New York Times headline: Scientists Confirm that Money Can't Buy Happiness."

Now, keep in mind that pursuing success in certain areas of your life is not a bad thing. That's not what Foster is saying. He simply says that you need to redefine what success is and then pursue it in all areas at the same time. He encourages you to dream big and go after your goals. As Benjamin Elijah Mays, mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.... It is calamity not to dream - not failure, but low aim is a sin."

What kinds of success have you been pursuing? Have you stopped to reevaluate your life focus? Do you desire to live a disintegrated life or an integrated life? Any thoughts on this review?