In a world that changes this fast, it’s hard to figure out what you want in the future—even if the future is just this weekend.
But the older you get, the more people around you are going to ask about your goals. Don’t panic. You can answer any question about what you want for your future with one relatively long and impressive word—prosperity.
Some people hear “prosperity” and think it’s all about having money, but it’s a lot more than that.
Think of it this way: You want a job that allows you to make money, but you also want to enjoy the work that you do. To get a job like that, you might need access to more education or training.
You want somewhere to live—a house, a houseboat, an apartment in the moon’s first human colony—but your dream home isn’t worth much if you can’t share it with the people who matter to you.
You probably want to travel—and sure, you need money to do that—but you also need independence, the freedom to choose where to go and how to live.
A prosperous future includes all of those things: enough money to take care of yourself and avoid stressing about expenses, good health, a clean environment, access to solid education, meaningful relationships and experiences, and the freedom to think and act for yourself.
Honestly, it’s pretty much what anyone in the world would want. Prosperity.
But that raises another question, one that doesn’t have an easy, single-word answer: How can we, as a society, make prosperity achievable for everyone?
For most of human history, people couldn’t expect to prosper. Poverty was the norm, freedom of choice wasn’t really a thing, and health care amounted to superstition and random guesses. And sometimes leeches.
Things are better these days, but as human beings, we’re always searching for more answers.
As you continue into your future with prosperity as a goal, keep in mind the kinds of policies and systems that can help bring prosperity into reach for you, the people you care about, and everyone in the world.
