Whether you're a millionaire or a middle-class father of two, we all make the
same mistakes when it comes to money – we think the more we earn, the happier
we'll be. If you really want to buy yourself a more fulfilling life, it's not how much
money you earn that matters, but figuring out the right way to spend
it. 1、You're buying too many things and not enough
experiences. In a world where anything and everything can be yours with a credit card and
access to the Internet, it's easy to get swept up by material
things. But if you recognized the fact that you could get more satisfaction out of a
$50 dinner with friends than that big screen TV or new iPhone, it might change
the way you
shop. 2、You're more focused on getting more money than buying more
time. Sometimes, we get too caught up in either working hard to save a buck or
working hard to earn a buck to realize what really matters – our
time. Now, if you get a high from saving five cents on a gallon of gas by driving
10 miles out of your way, then fine. But most people would be happier spending a
little extra money to get home 20 minutes earlier for
dinner. 3、You think a McMansion will make you happy. What could possibly be more satisfying than ditching that old starter home
you and your spouse moved into during your broke newlywed
years? Two studies cited in "Happy Money" prove
otherwise. When researchers followed groups of German homeowners five years after they
moved into new homes, they all wound up saying they were happier with their
newer house. But there was one problem: They weren't any happier with their
lives. The same was true in a study of Ohio homeowners in which it turned out
they weren't any happier with their lives than
renters. 4、You're letting yourself have too much of a good thing. When you've got unlimited financial resources, it may seem stupid to deny
yourself simple pleasures that you've come to enjoy, like new jewelry or an
expensive bottle of wine with dinner every
evening. But when you reach that point of material over-saturation, you could be
killing the potential to make yourself any
happier. This is the sad reality of the human experience: The more we're exposed to
something, the more its impact
diminishes. 5、You're investing too much in yourself and not enough in other
people. Like love, it stands to reason that the happier you are with yourself, the
more likely it is that you'll bring happiness to
others.. Make others happier first and you'll bring yourself happiness in the process.
It sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how many of us forget
it. |
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