Happiness IS The Forgotten Ingredient In Life

If you've been reading my blogs you know my focus is happiness.  Not their happiness - YOUR happiness.  Why do I say it's the forgotten ingredient in life - because it is.  let's break down what I believe is important in your life.  If I missed anything, please comment back to me.

Money

In my earlier blog I stated:  "If you're happy, you'll have all the money you need.  If you're unhappy,  you never have enough money."  Sooo, why are so many people willing to trade off their happiness to get more money?  The answer is simple.  Most people value money more than they value their happiness.

You might say: "I'd be happier if I had more money." Or, "don't give me that bullshit, everybody wants more money." Or, "I need more money to pay for all the things that make me happy."  Or, I don't value money more than happiness. I want more because money makes me happy." Or, "more money will make me feel secure."

None of the statements above are true. On the other hand, "money is NOT the root of all evil."  People who will compromise their moral compass, take advantage of other people, lie, cheat, steal and put their happiness in second position are the root of all evil.

Even the very poor can be happy if they appreciate friends, family, the beauty around them (yes even in poor neighbors you can find beauty if you look at your environment with positive energy eyes instead of negative energy eyes).  If the very poor can be happy without a lot of money, think about living your life with a positive attitude.  More money is not the source of positive energy - YOU and your appreciation of life is what creates a positive attitude.

There is nothing wrong with having money.  What's wrong is having the feeling you have to have more money to be happy.  Therefore, stop making money the ingredient in life - make happiness the ingredient in life


Stuff

We are a society that accumulates lots of stuff.  How many times have you cleaned out the garage or your closets of stuff.  Do you say things like: "when did I buy that?"  "I didn't even know I had that."  "What was I thinking when I brought that."  "I have to make more room because I'm going to buy more stuff."  "These clothes are out of date, I need new ones."  "I no longer fit into these pants, so I'm getting rid of them and get ones that fit."

Happiness IS the forgotten ingredient in life because we value "stuff" more than happiness.  More stuff creates the need for more money.  It becomes a vicious circle of wants verses need. Could you be happy with what you have instead of getting caught up in a catch 22 of wants where happiness is taking a lower priority?  

Too many people are caught up in this situation and have forgotten that happiness is their main goal not more stuff.  Their friends and family keep getting more stuff so they believe they should have more stuff.  Before they know it, they have a lot of stuff, but it hasn't made them happier.  

Somehow they believe if they just had even more stuff that would make them happier.  It just doesn't work because happiness doesn't come from stuff.  Happiness comes from appreciating the stuff you already have and feeling good that you you can still be happy even though others have more.


Ego

One reason to have more stuff is to look good to others.  Many say: " I don't buy expensive things for them, I buy it because it makes me feel good and that makes me happy."  That statement is mucho, mucho  bullshit.  Too many people don't even realize what that statement means.  First, it states you don't love yourself just the way you are.  Second, it states the only way you can feel good about yourself is if you're wearing a Louis Vuitton bag, shirt and shoes.

The other part of that statement which is so not true is, you do care what others think about how you look.  Too many care so much about how they look, they are willing to make happiness a second thought.  Buying expensive things means you accumulating more stuff and that makes you spend more money.  If doing so doesn't really enhance your happiness, what good is it - absolutely nothing!

Happiness IS the forgotten ingredient in life because too many people value ego more than happiness. They believe they're not good enough unless that look good to others or to themselves.  They don't feel beautiful inside so they believe they need a beautiful facade.  Then they realize they need more stuff and more money to get the expensive stuff.  This vicious negative circle get's them caught up on a focus where there is no room for happiness taking first position in their life.


Security

The need to feel secure has been drilled into all of us by our parents and their parents before them.  Nothing wrong with making security a priority.  However, happiness winds up being the forgotten ingredient in life when people will make security a higher priority.  "If you're addicted to security you will never have enough.  If you prefer being secure you will be able to balance your need for happiness with your need for security."

"I need more money to feel secure."  I need more stuff to feel secure."  I need the outside world see me as successful (ego) to feel secure."  If you're making any one of those three statements you're addicted to security, you're insecure and you will trade your happiness to get more and more and more security.

Worrying about security is negative energy.  It can make you become depressed.  Depression is not a happy state.  Worrying about the security things you can't control (war, Iran, terrorist attack, earthquakes, stock market or just a negative future, will never make you happy.  

If you focus on the security things you can control (how much money you need to have food to eat, air to breath and shelter, how much insurance you need to protect your house, car, health, etc or believing the future will be positive not negative), will enable to you to make happiness your first choice not security.

Happiness IS The Forgotten Ingredient In Life because we make it so.  If you really want to change your life, make a poster, put it into an beautiful frame and place it somewhere in you house or workplace where you'll have to see it every day.  The poster should say:

"I Will Make Happiness The Most Important Focus Of My Life!"