Traits of the Prosperous Household

My Keys to Prosperity posts are all about the components necessary to experience prosperity. The start of a prosperity "how to" list really. But there's another way to view prosperity -- by looking at the characteristics of something you already know or sense to be prosperous.

It's often easy to identify some organization or entity as prosperous, but less easy to figure out WHY. Kind of a prosperity version of Justice Stewart's famous definition of pornography: "I'll know it when I see it." However if you're interested in recreating prosperity (if not pornography), it helps to get a sense of the traits that prosperous things have. Whether they are the causes of that prosperity or the result, emulating them might just be a technique for getting closer to that result yourself.

I don't have a very good idea of what a prosperous business or farm looks like, but I think I can identify traits common to a prosperous household. By household I mean a group of people who live under the same roof and who act together as a unit as well as the place where these people live.

A prosperous household is:

• Clean. While a house doesn't have to be OCD spotless or magazine perfect, I expect that a prosperous household will be sanitary. First of all, filth and dirt breed bacteria that can make members of the household sick. Health being a key to prosperity, it makes sense that the prosperous house will be squalor free. Second, cleanliness indicates that the residents of the household care about it. When the people in a household work together to keep both themselves and the place clean, it demonstrates a commitment to the household itself.
  
  Possible to do items: Create a cleaning schedule. Buy more efficient cleaning supplies. Identify and practice habits that keep things clean (coasters and doormats!).
  
  
• Organized. Again, there's a difference between "workably neat" and "Martha Stewart." The latter isn't required. But if you find yourself wasting time looking for lost items, buying duplicates of things you can't find, stumbling over clutter, and feeling overwhelmed by crap, how are you going to foster prosperity? In addition, if there's more than one person in the household, they need to coordinate organization together.
  
  Possible to do items: Eliminate unnecessary clutter. Find or purchase appropriate storage. Create and communicate "everything in its place" locations (coat racks and key hooks).
  
  
• Functional. Above all, a household must work for its members. Work and play must be supported. Space should be effectively utilized. Tasks and goals should be sustained. A perfect and beautiful formal dining room that gets used once a year is the antithesis of prosperity. That you can afford the extra square footage might say something about you, but as space is one of the household budget's biggest expenses (whether that be rent, mortgage, parking, or storage costs) what it says might not be flattering. Whereas the same dining room, messier but better loved and used for hobbies, homework, game night, or regular meals, is the epitome of prosperity. The members of the household should be able to define their functional needs and implement systems and spaces that support them, while also crediting the needs of other members.
  
  Possible to do items: Reassign room usage. Create individual work spaces. Obtain appropriate furnishings.
  
  
• Rhythmic. That sounds odd, but what I mean is that the prosperous household fosters a certain regularity of operation. There's always food in the house. No one is ever out of clean underwear (hey, these are goals to strive for). There's a sense that things happen in right order and at their right time. From large-scale cycles like putting up storm windows each October and stocking up at farmers markets through summer to small-scale cycles like making sure household members get their coffee and breakfasts each morning. Members of the household are in the habit of doing work to keep the household running. And the household in turn supports the regular tasks people need to do with the right tools and layout. In addition, there must be a sense of ownership of regular tasks so that the members know what they personally need to do to keep things running.
  
  Possible to do items: Create a yearly household maintenance chart. Purchase tools and supplies. Identify and assign regular chores.
  
  
• Flexible. A prosperous household is going to be able to adjust to whatever life throws at it. That means that the members must be flexible as the environment and situation change over time. Everyone must have a willingness to try new things in order to maintain a standard of prosperity. In rough times, household sacrifice might be necessary and when times are good innovation can improve prosperity significantly.
  
  Possible to do items: Support training opportunities. Communicate household status. Brainstorm small business ideas.
  
  
• Thrifty. The prosperous household won't tolerate excessive waste. The contents are well-cared for and properly maintained. Excess is eliminated or effectively handled. Members of the household cultivate the skills necessary to make best use of assets. As much as is practical, the household strives for a sense of sustainability and independence. The members work together to meet the household's needs and seek out the best options for doing so.
  
  Possible to do items: Create a meal plan to use leftover and reduce kitchen waste. Learn to fix and mend items that need maintenance. Shop around for the best option.
  
  
• Welcoming. No household is an island (except for this one) and making the household part of the wider community is critical to prosperity. It's ironic that some of the most beautiful and beautifully kept houses are the least welcoming. A prosperous household is ready to connect with neighbors and always welcomes friends. There's a necessarily generosity associated with prosperity to keep connections strong.
  
  Possible to do items: Host a neighborhood barbecue. Start a reading group. Invite friends to a movie night.
  

So, how does your household measure up? I can already identify areas where we are doing well and ones where we need to do some work. Since my family is pretty domestic, our household is the center of our lives. We want it to be as prosperous as possible.