From the very beginning of our lives, we are surrounded by the idea of success.

It’s sold through advertisements, glorified in movies, and woven into marketing everywhere we look — until, almost unconsciously, it becomes the ultimate objective of our lives.

However, in the pursuit of being successful, we may overlook life’s real treasures — fulfilment, inner peace, quality time with loved ones…

The truth is: a fulfilled life doesn’t come from endlessly chasing goals or acquiring material things. It comes from how we live each day — with presence, balance, and purpose.

I want to share three key rules to help you move beyond success, so you can truly thrive and live a deeply meaningful life.

Practising these will help you:

• • Prosper not just professionally, but personally.
  • Achieve not just for yourself, but also for others.
  • Accumulate not just wealth, but also love, joy, and happiness along the way.

Let’s explore them— and, more importantly, how you can practice them in your daily life.

#1— Live a Daily Life

Recently, I came across a fascinating book — Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.

It’s a refreshing perspective on time: reminding us that our weeks are numbered. So instead of overthinking, we should embrace today and start acting.

We can’t control years or even months, but we can always shape today.

As I often remind myself:

Plan your days, and the weeks, months, and years will take care of themselves.

— Manmohan Joshi

Most of us live in two places:
The past, replaying what went wrong, or the future, worrying about what might happen.

Rarely do we fully inhabit the present moment. Yet life only truly happens here and now.

When you practice to live a daily life, one time-block at a time — you unlock peace, clarity, and joy.

Illustration by the Author

How To Practice

1. Divide your day into clear time-blocks: Morning, afternoon, and evening each bring a unique energy — plan your activities accordingly per block.

• • 5 am — 10 am: Creative work 
  • 10 am — 5 pm: Task execution
  • 5 pm—10 pm: Recreation

2. Turn ambitions into actions: Divide big goals into small, actionable daily steps. Focus on what you can do today, not everything you need to accomplish this month or year.

3. Be present: Give attention to the exact moment or activity, e.g. tasting your food, noticing your breath, or listening carefully when someone speaks.

Living a daily life doesn’t mean compromising with long-term goals. It means finding fulfilment in the journey instead of the destination.

#2—Live a Balanced Life

Balance isn’t about splitting time equally between work, relationships, health, and hobbies — it’s about giving each the right attention when it matters most.

Without balance, success in one area often comes at the cost of another:

• • Too much work impacts health.
  • Too much self-focus creates distance from loved ones.
  • Too much leisure weakens discipline.

Balance brings stability, resilience, and a deeper sense of wholeness.

Work, love, and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being.

— Orison Swett Marden

Illustration by the Author

How to Practice

1. Define your priorities: For instance — Personal, Professional, Family, Friends, Knowledge, Activity, Recreation, and Sleep.

2. Set boundaries: Give each priority the time and attention it deserves, without letting one overshadow the other.

3. Reflect: Periodically — say once a month — notice which priorities feel overnourished and which feel neglected. Adjust until you find the harmony.

Living in balance is like conducting an orchestra — when each priority receives the right attention, life turns into a melody.

#3—Lead with Purpose

Purpose is the thread that ties your daily actions to something larger.

Without it, even a busy and balanced life can feel hollow. With it, even small actions gain meaning.

Purpose helps you endure challenges, make wiser choices, and contribute to something beyond personal gain.

When you walk in purpose, you collide with destiny.

— Ralph Buchanan

Illustration by the Author

How to Practice

1. Clarify your values: Ask yourself: What truly matters most? Growth, wellbeing, kindness, freedom, service, creativity? These values can serve as a compass to guide you in finding purpose.

2. Craft a dual purpose — for body and consciousness: For your body, your purpose might be health, energy, or well-being. For your consciousness, it might be knowledge, service, or creativity. When your daily actions align with both, life begins to feel more centred and whole.

3. Keep checking in: Purpose takes time to evolve, and regular reflection keeps you aligned until you find the true one.

Leading a purposeful life doesn’t always mean chasing a grand mission. Sometimes, it simply means showing up for others, living with integrity, or choosing joy in ordinary routines.

And having a purpose for both body and consciousness helps you break down big ambitions into meaningful daily actions.

Click to read my previous article, where I explained how our body and consciousness function like two departments of an organisation.

When you live each day fully, balance life across its many dimensions, and lead with purpose, you don’t just find joy in what you do — you begin to thrive.

In the end, thriving in life isn’t about wealth or status — it’s about the freedom to spend your time on what matters most. Everything else flows from there.

Of all the luxuries we chase, time is the most precious. Practising these three rules helps us value it, use it wisely, and truly enjoy it.

If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear your reflections [hello@manmohanjoshi.com]. And if you know someone who might benefit, please share it forward.