Is It All About the Money?
Like most of you, I know people who have a lot of money and I know people who have not so much. Do you ever think about which group are happier? It's probably a mixed bag and it depends on what motivates a person and how they find peace and happiness.You see, until you're clear about what it is you want from your life, it’s not going to be easy to arrive at true happiness. This means it often doesn’t matter how much money you've got, fulfilment may still be out of reach.
What's The Problem?
Life's VERY busy and it seems to be getting busier. I'm not entirely sure why this is, and I can't even say if it was slower and more relaxed in the 'old days'. Was the quality of life better back then? What do you think?Anyway, this 'busyness' means we rarely have the opportunity to take that all important step back from our life to consider what we REALLY want out of it and whether or not we're happy. I find that a sad but all too true fact of life. I’m guilty of it too!Without taking stock of things, how can we make an assessment of whether or not we’re happy? How can we put the fast pace of our current life in the context of our overall time on this planet? Not easy.
So, Are You Happy?
This then feeds in to those who have a lot of money and those who don’t. In my view, happiness isn't borne out of money in itself. From my experience, it seems to come from people's ability to take stock of things and get clear on what actually makes them happy. We all know (or have heard of) people who don’t have a great deal of money but who seem happier than those with a lot. Why is this? Could it be down to the old saying 'money can't buy you happiness'? It might be.You see, happiness, contentment, peace of mind, etc. are all states of mind that come from within. They're certainly influenced by what happens around us in our lives, but we all have a tendency to 'blame' our emotions on external factors, therefore, avoiding some deep and searching questions.
Life's Too Short!
Some people are taken from this life far too soon. It's a tragedy that always hits hard. When this happens, most of us stop and think 'what's life all about', but then life engulfs us once more and we get swamped. It's natural.I think we should be questioning, regularly, if we're REALLY living the life we set out to live. Are we going to regret not doing things or spending more time with the people that matter to us?Another question I ask people is how would they change their lives if they knew they were going to die in 5 years, but wouldn’t feel ill along the way? It's a big question and an uncomfortable one to answer but I think it's an important questions and forces one to think a bit differently.
The Solution?
I'm not sure if there’s a 'solution' to this. I'm not a lifestyle guru and have far from achieved Zen, myself! That said, I do find people get a great deal of value in being given the space and safety to reflect on their life. Where they are now and where they might want to get to.These aren't conversation 'normal' life generally allows but they're important and can yield some very interesting results. It could be that you only need to modify your life rather than make wholesale changes but even small modifications in the right areas could change your mindset dramatically.It's your life. You have every right to live it how you want to but that's usually the path of LEAST resistance. My suggestion is that you do more to take the path that brings true happiness for you. It could be the most fulfilling thing you've ever done…Speak soon…
