So you’ve found yourself at a point in your life where you’re confused with what you’ve been taught and what you’ve believed your entire life and money always seems to be at the forefront of your issues. Maybe you’re having trouble figuring out exactly what the problem is? Do I hate my job, do I hate work, or am I just unhappy and I hate my life? Sound familiar? The majority of us believe that all of our problems can be fixed with money. Rightfully so, because society has taught us that this is how it works.
Take a look around and what do we see? Happy people in big houses with manicured lawns and designer label outfits. They drive nice cars, they have nice things, they appear to be happy. They have more than I do so I need what they have to be happy; like they are. So I need more money which means I need a better job because I’ve already maxed out my credit cards but I obviously didn’t get enough stuff yet because I’m not happy yet. I need more money, I need more money, I need more money…and so goes our daily existence. What so many of us don’t realize is that until we have managed our emotional growth and maturity, the truth of having all of the money we could imagine would simply result in more money, more problems.
Early on, without even realizing what’s happening, we become consumed with ways to make more money so that we can buy the things we need to be happy and fulfilled. This is such a strong desire in most of us that we don’t even stop to evaluate what our true feelings are. We’re consumed with the idea that as soon as we have the nice car, the big house, and the fancy things that we will be happy and fulfilled. How could we not be? We’d have everything, right? Apparently, this is the goal and everyone that reaches this goal becomes magically happy and fulfilled; or so it seems. If you find any similarities between this line of thinking and how you feel right now then I have some news for you. Those people that you’re watching from the “outside looking in” aren’t the people you’ve built them up to be. They’re struggling with the same life issues as you are and, truth be known, most of them are a LOT less happy and fulfilled than you because they thought they were going to reach the dream of finally being happy (just like you are thinking) but, upon arriving at their dream, they aren’t happy. WTH!?
You DO have more in common with these people than you realize. Many of them are still searching for the very same happiness and fulfillment that you are. The success of getting all the “stuff” didn’t change their life and deliver fulfillment on a platter. It won’t for you either. We’re all focussing on the wrong thing people and we don’t even realize it!
So this is the good news; you’re closer to your dreams than you ever imagined! What you need to realize now is that the dream that you’ve been having isn’t exactly the dream that you truly want. You’re looking for peace, fulfillment, joy and happiness; aren’t you? I’ll assume so because, fundamentally, that is what we’re all looking for. By taking interest and making appropriate changes now, you can avoid many of the time-consuming and expensive mistakes that most people make. Develop insight into the priorities in your life and determine which of those is truly a priority. Once you’ve regrouped your priorities, the majority of your money problems will disappear because all the “stuff” isn’t your priority anymore. Happiness is priceless, but it’s also free! Stay with me on this thought process…
Change Your Life Before Your Life Changes You
Think back to when you were a small child and try to remember how you spent most of your days. Typically, children spend their days doing whatever makes them happy. Many times this isn’t a planned out event. Children act in the moment and make the best of what they have. They don’t spend their days longing for everything they don’t have. Children are thankful for what they’ve got and continue enjoying thier day. Either way, a child is a happy person by nature. Judging, anger, jealousy, and being envious about what they don’t have aren’t things that children spend much time on. They just play. If they are treated wrongly or their feelings are hurt, they respond immediately and the problem is solved. Once solved, a child moves immediately past the issue and continues on doing things that they want to do.
By nature, children do not hold grudges and do not hide their emotions. This behavior changes the older we become until we finally reach a point where we are NOT doing what we enjoy every day without even realizing that there was once a time that we DID! This is what happens for most of us as we become adults. Granted, everyone has to grow up but we don’t have to become miserable in the process!
Do you wish to spend the rest of your life worrying about your future and trying to get more money to buy your “percieved” idea of happiness? Or do you long to go back to the simplicity of what being happy truly felt like as a child? We can learn a lot by remembering how it was to be a child and remembering that life is about being happy in the moment. Not giving up our immediate happiness in exchange for the “dangling carrot” of possible happiness in the future as soon as we get what we “think” we want. Choosing to do something today (live without happiness) as a price we have to pay to live better in the future is a revolving door of unhappiness. You’ve got to be able to find happiness today to be happy in life. You can’t buy happiness later with money. That’s just not how it works.
The majority of people who finally succeed in getting everything they wanted that they thought would make them happy finally wake up and realize that…they’re not happy. Now they need MORE stuff, maybe that will make them happier. And the cycle repeats itself again. YOU DON’T NEED STUFF TO BE HAPPY! You simply need to have good self esteem, make healthy choices, love people without judgement, and spend each day being happy. It’s that simple, truly, yet I know that most of you won’t believe me. Hang in there and give it some more thought. You know why it’s easier to think more stuff will make you happy? Because “imagining” that is the answer is easier than realizing that the answer has been within you the entire time and you didn’t see it. You bought society’s bill of goods because society truly believes it. You can change your life by contemplating this one simple question. If society is right about all the stuff that we must have to be happy, then how come so many of the people with all the stuf take antidepressants, get divorced, cheat on their spouses, go bankrupt, and pretend to be happy when they’re not?
Life has been changing you since you were a small child. Many of those changes are not positive changes. You can stop the confusion and go back to the important things; your happiness that does not hinge on your accumulation of possessions.
Continue reading at part II of this post – Money Problems