Happiness First? Or Money First?

self improvement

Amazing Life Lesson #11

Money does not equal happiness

 

More than 80% of the responses to our survey on self-improvement-lounge.com indicated that lack of (or insufficient) money was the biggest challenge faced today.

This is a scenario many face, and one I have struggled with before. Let’s look at this from a different point of view.

Many of my coaching clients initially believed the biggest roadblock to happiness was lack of money. So did I.

The answer to the biggest roadblock to more money is not enough happiness. Again…the biggest roadblock to more money is not enough happiness.

This answer hurts – and makes the problem even bigger for many! But in reality this answer creates amazing opportunities in your life!

I hear it all the time: "How can I be happy when I am struggling to pay the bills?"

And quite simply the solution is "choose to be happy".

Remember the half full/half empty glass scenario. Which do you normally choose? Bright or dark? Up or down? Good or bad? Depressed or happy?

A very simple test is to frown and try to smile. Then smile in the mirror and try to be depressed.. …You can’t do it.

So why do we not choose to be happy? And what does money have to do with happiness?

Next time…

Coach Miami

Happiness is Creating Your Life!

For years I have been writing about happiness. What it is, where to find it, how to keep it, and how to share it.

The more time goes by, the more certain I am happiness is what we all really want.

And I also believe the more we all tie happiness to having money, the less happy we will be.

Speaking only for myself now – I feel the most alive and happy when I am super excited about a new project, goal or  journey.

There is something extremely attractive in a new challenge.

When we built our first sailboat. When we built the horse farm we currently live on. When I went to sea for the first time. When I took the engineer crew position on a 165 foot mega yacht in Acapulco Mexico. When I joined the Navy and to serve on nuclear submarines. When I met my wife.

All these and many more are dreams manifested to reality. Manifested means I was so passionate I would do anything to get there!

Our newest goal is to go back to the cruising life – and share it with our two sons – Ian who is 16 and Ryan who is now 9. I want to show them there is a whole another world of people, places and cultures beyond their current experience.

With the challenge of manifesting such a dream comes work. Lots of it. We have a horse farm and business to sell (great time I picked to sell property!), 11 years of accumulated stuff to get rid of, a boat to find, purchase, and get ready for sea – and finally to move us all from a home to a small boat!

Easy.

The thing is I am so excited about it – I want to skip all the steps and just go right to sea! Why can’t it be this way?

I’ll leave that answer to you…

(But now you know what I have been up to!)

So my point is – what is it that makes you so passionate you can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning to get started? What keeps you up late at night?

Is this what you are doing?