Happiness Is Fortune Divided By Desire
What can you do to find true happiness in life? Well, I’ve been stewing over this question for the past year and have had a draft post just sitting there waiting to be written that entire time. I finally feel like I’m ready to put my thoughts down into words on this one.
I am sure that many of us ask this question every once in a while when we are feeling a little down in the dumps. If this is you, then let’s see if we can find the answer to the question – what brings true happiness in life?
True Happiness – A Moving Target?
Have you ever felt that things that used to make you happy just no longer seem to do it for you? If you just had a little bit more or did a little bit more you’d be truly happy?
We’ll be talking about this today. Happiness can come and go like the tide because happiness is a moving target! Think of it like an equation… Happiness = Fortune / Desire. Let’s explore the numerator in this simple equation first.
True Happiness – Good Fortune
Is the only key to achieving true happiness good fortune? Are mega-millionaires more happy that the rest of us? Are “poor” people destined to live a life of sorrow and despair?
Of course, we know that simply having money will not make you happy. There are untold of examples of rich people that are living completely miserable lives. Also, there are countless numbers of poor people that seem to be able to live life to its fullest. Obviously, good fortune is only one part of the “happiness equation.”
Now let’s check out the denominator for the “happiness equation!”
True Happiness – Desire
Have you ever met someone that was just never satisfied with what they had? No matter how much good fortune they were blessed with, they wanted more? This can be one problem with having too much wealth – your desire for more increases! Bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger everything!
It’s like the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
The point is, you have to get your desires under control if you are ever going to be able to attain true happiness.
True Happiness – Putting it together
If you’re any kind of math nerd like I am, you will see that the way to maximize happiness is to increase your fortune and decrease your desire. So, how do we do that?
Well, there are three good ways to increase your “fortune” (these come straight from the book I highly recommend titled: Outsmarting the System
- Become a landlord
- Start your own business (see my guide on how to form your own LLC)
- Invest in the Stock Market (see my excellent book titled Stock Market Investing for Newbies
)
Each of these three methods are great for building your personal wealth for several reasons. First, I’m sure we’ve all heard the cliche “you’ll never get rich working for someone else.” The main reason for this is because of the way tax income is treated for the above three activities. You will end up saving 15%-20% in taxes versus just working for the “man” if you engage in one of the three above activities. Read the book to learn more 🙂
Now, how do we work on reducing desires? Unfortunately, this one can be much more tricky to get under control. One of the best methods I find myself recommending is to do your best to eliminate advertising from your life. I also find it useful analyze your spending and track just how much you are spending on “desires vs. needs.” It can be very eye opening – I know it was for me.
If you are looking for further ways to help reduce desires, please check out this excellent blog about simplifying your life: ZenHabits.
True Happiness – Final Thoughts
As you can see, there is no one true way to find happiness in life. The path to true happiness is different for each person and really is a rich composite of your fortune in life contrasted against your internal desires. If you can work to increase your fortune in life and shed many of your desires, you will find yourself approaching a state of true peace and happiness.
Yes, I know someone who is never satisfied even with what she has. She keeps complaining about things, even if her husband has a very good stable job and loved them so much. They own a huge house with luxury cars, but still it wasn’t enough for her.
Clarisse @ Make Money Your Way recently posted…Side hustle ideas, part 9
Clarisse,
It’s sad that some people do this to themselves and end up living unhappy lives and work themselves to death!
Happiness is definitely a moving target….what would make me happy in my 20’s wouldn’t come close now. Right now, I want to continue my career, learning and growing as an employee – taking on new challenges. Outside of that, I want to continue growing my BBQ skills, and have my sights on taking massage therapy classes and culinary classes. I’d also like to qualify for the Boston Marathon. YOu’ll note that all of the things that make me happy are learning new skills, or doing something…not necessarily achieving a certain amount of money.
Brock @CleverDude recently posted…FREE Software That Can Save You Headaches and Money
Brock,
Wow – those are pretty cool and uplifting goals. Right on man!
Great post….everyone defines their own happiness. I’ve made it a point to sit down and reflect on the things that make me happy and then figure out ways to allow me to be in that moment/experience more often.
Jon @ Money Smart Guides recently posted…The Simplest Way Ever To Become Rich
Jon,
Exactly – I find that many folks get so caught up in the day-to-day that they don’t sit down and really ponder what makes them happy.