Does money make you happy?
Money is a tool. It pays for our housing, food, clothing. As we move up in the world, money provides more and more for us, better cars, better clothes, better furniture, better (fill in the blank). We strive for more and better. So, is money bringing you happiness?
Buy experiences
You may have heard this mantra in our culture: buy experiences; not stuff. Objects make us happy for a little while, but an experience can stick with us, change us, be profound, make us happy, or sometimes make us miserable (remember that last terrible flight). Spending money on an experience like a vacation, taking a day trip, trying something new can build memories that last far longer than any object. Great, good, indifferent, or bad – experiences build our character.
But it’s not just experiences
You can go on vacation, take a class, learn to dance, but if your mind is wandering, then purchasing the experience didn’t make you happy. For an experience to count, you need to be in the moment.
Don’t let your mind drift
When you sit in a concert thinking about what to make for dinner, when you are cleaning remembering a great vacation, or when you are driving in your car recalling a disagreement at work – all of these memories and daydreams make us less happy, regardless of whether the memory is happy, sad, or neutral.
Being present in the experience
What makes people happy with the purchase of an experience is being right there in the moment. Any sort of drifting thought detracts from the overall experience and makes you…not so happy. Money well spent is like time well spent – living it fully.
When you buy that time of your life
Focus, savor, explore – be in the present. Money and time will be well spent if you allow yourself the luxury of being totally present.
What are your goals?
Do you want to travel, start a business, learn a language…let’s discuss your goals for living and how to bring your financial life in line with the life you want to lead.