Week 11 Thoughts on Money and Happiness

    This was an awesome week for me on the correlation between money and happiness. I have had several conversations with friends about this topic and their thoughts on it. I spend entirely too much time worrying about money and if we will have enough. Money is important to live but it should not be what consumes my thoughts. The first time I had the realization that money was not responsible for happiness I was traveling with my husband to Fiji. We did not have any kids at the time. We met a lot of islanders who were beaming with joy they lived in grass shacks with dirt floors. They were truly happy. It seemed so odd to me that they had no modern conveniences like even a fridge and they did not care.  There have been so many studies on happiness and I love that a lot of people who "get rich" really are not any happier and sometimes less happy than when they were poor or less well off. 

    I also like the thought to be around people with the same core values as you have. This also brings happiness. You will not be in as many situations in your life that will challenge your core values if you surround yourself with others with the same standards you have. Randy Komisar said that we should never put ourselves in a place in life where we cannot say no. Be able to say no will give you the right balance that you need. I love the idea this week that real happiness is a life of service. When we can achieve a level of financial success and we are able to give back to others then we will be so happy. I know that when I step outside of my own problems and reach out to others to help I always feel 100 times better. I sometimes think this is funny that you are trying to help others in service but in reality, you are the one that feels so good, and who knows if the other person you serve is as happy with what you did.