Happiness

My coach sent me a great article from The New York Times titled "But Will it Make You Happy?" Great read! In light of the current economic times, this really hit home. With my husband going through several lay-off's simplifying my life sounds great! According to the article, consumers are moving from a mind-set where we "buy without regard" to a more "calculated consumption". The interesting result is that the "practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could- as a raft of new research suggests- make them happier". Maybe we need to simplify! Apparently while "the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they've discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled".

According to recent studies, the only spending that really affects happiness is spending on leisure and services- not spending on consumable material goods. When we spend on leisure we generally so with others- which in turn strengthens social bonds. Belic a filmmaker making a documentary called "Happy" has found from traveling around the globe that "the one single trait that's common among every single person who is happy is strong relationships".

So I guess the bottom line is- spend less OR if you are going to spend money spend on leisure that can be shared with others! The questions that came up in coaching after spending time processing through this article are: what do I truly value? Stability? Security? How does this article fit with my Christian worldview?

Awww. Always more questions than answers!

8.23.2010