Saturday, March 11, 2006
Path to Happiness- part 1
I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is that really makes people happy, or that brings happiness to someone. Certainly a little luck helps (being born attractive, or into a nurturing environment). But mostly we lay the seeds of happiness ourselves, through thought and action.
I finally feel like I'm in a happy place. So many opportunities are opening up in my future. And I want to reflect a bit on how this has all transpired, what seeds were planted, to bring me to this fortunate place.
A cash reserve:
Everyone thinks that money brings happiness, but it really can be a mixed bag. I've learned from my business partner and through the experiences of a rich uncle that money can make you a target for marauders, people who will sue you at the drop of a hat to snag some of your money for themselves, regardless of the "crime" you have been accused of making against them. If you're smart, you won't advertise your wealth. The people who flaunt their money usually aren't the truly wealthy, but those who make a decent income and spend it on stuff. Those who become wealthy have to do so by saving, and many are accustomed to a low-key lifestyle created during their early years of wealth-building. Like us! :)
In my mind having money, not just making it, goes a long way toward making you happy. It's great to have the psychological freedom to buy something you truly want, without guilt. No guilt! Imagine that! That doesn't mean you just go buying stuff left and right, need it or not. My most satisfying purchases are those which I've researched and anticipated and made a slow, rational, sparing decision about. Ah, the sweet bliss you feel when you earn something you really want. Earn is the key word. This idea came from the best of all books, "Your Money Or Your Life," a must read for anyone who wants to retire early, be happy, and go his own road in life. I think about the hours of work that go into every purchase I make: I take home about $25 an hour, so an MP3 player that costs $100 is worth four hours of work. Or is it? Worth thinking about it that way for every thing you buy: is this gadget worth four hours of my life force? Am I exchanging twenty hours of hard labor for a piece of jewelry that I'll only wear once or twice for special occasions?
I finally feel like I'm in a happy place. So many opportunities are opening up in my future. And I want to reflect a bit on how this has all transpired, what seeds were planted, to bring me to this fortunate place.
A cash reserve:
Everyone thinks that money brings happiness, but it really can be a mixed bag. I've learned from my business partner and through the experiences of a rich uncle that money can make you a target for marauders, people who will sue you at the drop of a hat to snag some of your money for themselves, regardless of the "crime" you have been accused of making against them. If you're smart, you won't advertise your wealth. The people who flaunt their money usually aren't the truly wealthy, but those who make a decent income and spend it on stuff. Those who become wealthy have to do so by saving, and many are accustomed to a low-key lifestyle created during their early years of wealth-building. Like us! :)
In my mind having money, not just making it, goes a long way toward making you happy. It's great to have the psychological freedom to buy something you truly want, without guilt. No guilt! Imagine that! That doesn't mean you just go buying stuff left and right, need it or not. My most satisfying purchases are those which I've researched and anticipated and made a slow, rational, sparing decision about. Ah, the sweet bliss you feel when you earn something you really want. Earn is the key word. This idea came from the best of all books, "Your Money Or Your Life," a must read for anyone who wants to retire early, be happy, and go his own road in life. I think about the hours of work that go into every purchase I make: I take home about $25 an hour, so an MP3 player that costs $100 is worth four hours of work. Or is it? Worth thinking about it that way for every thing you buy: is this gadget worth four hours of my life force? Am I exchanging twenty hours of hard labor for a piece of jewelry that I'll only wear once or twice for special occasions?
As I said to Mopey the other night "It's so relaxing to be rich." I really sleep well at night. I don't worry about money. I don't have to, because there is money in the bank, in the brokerage account, in my wallet, and a promise of it in the paycheck I'm getting 10 days from now. Much more money coming in than is going out. And I don't mean to brag. It's a choice we all make. Sure, Mopey and I make really good money. But we chose long ago to live well beneath our means. And yes we have forgone many things that might have made life easier (a cleaning lady), more fun (a plasma TV or mountain bikes), or fancier (a BMW). But it's a unique feeling not to need money, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
# posted by Moopy and Mopey @ 4:14 PM 
