😁How to Turbocharge Your Happiness for a Healthier and Richer Life

We know what it feels like to be happy but do we really know what makes us happy? You might scream “YES” but many of us mess this up. From wanting more money for money’s sake and social media for ‘socials’ sake, we’re moving further and further away from what it means to be well and truly happy. 

The rise of social media (and just how unsocial it’s become) has a big part to play in our overall happiness and wellbeing. Without a doubt. It causes us to forever compare ourselves (whether we admit it or not) to a highlight reel of people’s most perfect moments. Captured on camera.

No wonder we feel crappy about ourselves when we see people travelling to Barbados to soak in the sun while we’re stuck at home. Or those pics of perfect beach bods we know we’ll never have. The grass always seems greener elsewhere. We just can’t help ourselves.

Quitting (un)social media was the best move ever

Back in high school I had insta for all of three months. For starters, I hate pics so I’m not sure what possessed me to join the photo-mad social app! But I did. I guess all my friends were on it and I wanted to know what was going on. FOMO, lol.

Little did I realise that 99% of the pics were mainly for show. When I’d go out with friends they’d snap away ensuring the moment was perfectly captured, #livinginthemoment. Yeah right.

Friends freaked out when they realised that their photo had received all of 50 likes. It was a fake world. And one I left pretty soon after. I feel happier knowing my life is private and one where I’m actually present in. Someone once told me they never really wanted to “befriend” people they barely knew! And I couldn’t agree more. Insta is a place of false projections but it’s ever so hard to climb out of.

Be more social, away from all the socials

Let’s quit being fake social. Be real social, instead. Spend time with people you actually care about. In-person. Soak up all those great convos and enjoy what it really feels like to be in the moment. You’ll notice how many of those less-than-happy thoughts about yourself and your life slowly but surely drift away. Try it, be brave. Life is too short to be living it for others.  

These 2 have more in common than you think

Happiness is not just an aspirational state of being that seems all warm and fuzzy. It has some real health benefits, too. Happier people are healthier and richer than unhappy folk. A study back in 2015 showed that the risk death was 14% higher for unhappy people than happy ones. It goes on. Happier people have been found to earn 3% higher (and are ~12% more productive) than people who aren’t happy. 

But when we think of happiness our brains automatically think of sunshine and roses. That being happy means smiling 24/7 and living our best life. All the time. And if that’s what you aspire to, then you’re be miserable.

Happiness is more of a journey than a destination and you can be happy while still experiencing all the facets of human emotion like sadness, fear, anger. Happy people seem to be able to cope with all these different emotions (the good and the bad) and still maintain that same state of being. Of being content and in control of their emotions, rather than the other way round. 

We can’t talk about happiness without talking about money! Many people want money. Lots of it. So much so, that spend their entire lives chasing something so very tangible when in reality it was happiness that they were really after. The most beautiful intangible. (Read here how to spend money in a way that’ll actually feel good).

If you don’t enjoy the road to making money, you’ll never enjoy what lies at the end. How can you?

Money doesn’t mean love, joy and happiness. Money is a vehicle or sorts, a tool. How you use that tool is totally up to you but it’s silly to think a tool itself can actually make you feel inner peace. Nonsense.

Sure, you’ll tell me since I don’t have a string of zeros in my bank account that I don’t know what it’s like to be in possession of that much money, nor how it could possibly make me feel. True!

But while money can take away stress and anxiety since money problems are the #1 cause of stress in the US, ahead of jobs and relationships(!) money on its own won’t make you happy. I wrote a blog why spending when we can least afford it feels better than when we can. Read all about that here – only if you’re curious!

Living up to our expectations

I know people who have pots of money and people who don’t. Some of the rich folk are happy, of course. But many aren’t. They’ve find themselves having to keep their guard up, worrying that someone, somewhere might befriend them for their money; not for them.

There’s an expectation that they have to always foot the bill, give the best gifts and so on. Then there’s the jealousy that comes with it. People always seem to envy those who have more money than them so it’s natural that those with money (though trust me, you never know how much anyone has till you see their bank account!) think they have it all. 

Money is crucial. But it must be seen as part of the bigger picture. Happiness is the end goal. So don’t spend too much time obsessing over the zeros in your account. Enjoy where you’re at while working towards what you want. If you aren’t happy making money, you won’t be happy with money.

We’ve kinda etched it into our brain that more money = more happiness so we’ll probably end up trying to make a load of money all to realise that it was never money that made us happy.

Think back to your happiest memories. Was it the money or the people that made you happy? 

The pandemic was for many the golden opportunity to figure out what happiness really meant to them. And one thing’s for sure, gratitude leads to happiness. If you constantly walk around with a grateful eye you’ll notice all the good and wonderful things that happen to you. Big and small. The pandemic made us stop and appreciate things that were once mundane like grabbing a coffee with a friend and sitting for hours and realise how amazing they are.

I guess we had to be without these things for a while to make us appreciate them. I hope this doesn’t fade and that as the pandemic fades (fingers crossed!) we hold onto our newfound gratitude and enjoy the small things. It’s the small things that make our life beautiful. Life is a series of events and it’s our attitude and our reaction to those events that determine our happiness. 

Sure, money can alleviate so many worries (~90% of Americans admit to crying about their money) but beyond $75k, our happiness kinda plateaus. Not that I’ve tested that theory but I’ll take its word!

Chasing money is empty. Chase happiness, instead.

Now that’ll fill your belly. 

Disclaimer: This blog is not investment or financial advice. It is my opinion only. This blog is not a personal recommendation to buy/sell any security, or to adopt any such investment strategy. Always do your own research before you commit to any investment.