Part 2 of this series is on the topic of money and happiness. There are many sources that discuss this topic. The way I sum it up is the following: you must have enough money to sustain yourself and your lifestyle. Once you are reasonably comfortable, then money doesnât affect you that much. One could question how to get to that point of sustainability. That is a whole other topic which will be addressed in our Life Balance- Work Series. Letâs say youâre fine with your life style but youâre still not happy. The question to think about is what can I do with the money I have to create a happier life? Read my blog and find out how.
What Does Science and Research Say about Happiness and What Does it Mean for My Life
PsychCentral.com posts an article, 5 Reliable Findings from Happiness Research By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. It’s becoming well known that being happier means that life is better for you. Your life is balanced out between, work, relationships, play and health. In Part 1, of this series, I addressed how much of your happiness is under your control and how you could raise that level of happiness. I’m very curious to know if anyone answered those questions and how it affected you.
Our next topic is money and happiness. There are many sources that discuss this topic. The way I sum it up is the following: you must have enough money to sustain yourself and your lifestyle. Once you are reasonably comfortable, then money doesn’t affect you that much. One could question how to get to that point of sustainability. That is a whole other topic which will be addressed in our Life Balance- Work Series. Let’s say you’re fine with your life style but you’re still not happy. The question to think about is what can I do with the money I have to create a happier life? Use your money to create more meaning in your life. Here are some ideas.
1. Connect with people you love through fun activities like vacations, day trips and doing things together that you and your crew love to do. Create more bonding and life memories that you can talk and laugh about together.
2. Use funds to help others like give to charities, help people in need, create your own way to give back.
3. Volunteer and support a cause you truly believe in
4. Purchase something that brings value and happiness to the world and/or the ones you love. If purchasing a swimming pool will make your loved ones happy and create lots of great memories and you can afford it, then this could be a great purchase in your life.
Remember, money doesn’t buy happiness but only when you have enough of it. Think about these questions and what you could do to utilize money to bring more ROI (return on investment) to your life.
Author- Lori Peters, MS in Counseling, is the President of Together We Win, Ltd which promotes activities, resources and professional speaking services in the areas of happiness and well-being.
My next show on Happiness Hangout on bbs radio will address this topic. Don't miss it on W., Sept 23 at 5pm Pacific on Station 1.
