Even with a modest income, one can be a happy and content person. Conversely, one can be very wealthy and deeply unhappy.
There is a simple truth: happiness is not in money and not even in its quantity. Let’s not be deceitful: money is important, as it allows a person to obtain many things that contribute to their idea of happiness. However, finances alone will not automatically make you more satisfied with life.
Moreover, many things necessary for happiness do not cost money at all. The author of the book "The Art of Spending Money," Morgan Housel, explains that the pursuit of more can subtly rob us of the joy of the present.
He listed principles that can help you become a happier person without immense wealth and the desire to earn more and more.
Learn to Notice Beauty
The famous writer Marcel Proust told a story about a young man who was enchanted by the world of luxury. Proust recommended that he turn to the works of the artist Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. Chardin mainly depicted simple scenes of everyday life and often turned to nature.
The essence of this exercise is to see beauty in ordinary things, to start appreciating real life, writes the publication Psychologies.
For a happy and fulfilling life, it is important to be able to notice the beautiful and focus on what surrounds you here and now.
Live in Harmony with Yourself
Joyful and bright people do not always possess immense wealth. And the richest people are not always the happiest. Because for happiness, it is much more important to achieve inner peace.
Housel gives the example of his wife’s grandmother. In her old age, she lived on a modest pension for many years and was a very happy person: she tended to her garden and enjoyed reading.
Be Aware of Your Desires
There are things that you desire but do not possess — and you can live peacefully with that fact. There are dreams that motivate you to strive and do more to achieve your goals. And there is a scenario where you want something very badly and drive yourself crazy over it.
The sooner you can stop and acknowledge that you already have everything you need, the easier it will be for you to live, and the faster you will realize that in some sense you have always possessed wealth.
Monitor the Growth of Your Demands
The author of the book recounts that he has communicated with very wealthy people who were not as satisfied with life as his wife’s grandmother.
There are people who are always dissatisfied. And no amount of wealth will satisfy them. After all, you cannot earn all the money in the world, and it will always seem that something is still missing for happiness.
Modest demands bring a sense of satisfaction. Psychological wealth does not come to those who are fabulously rich, but to those who know how to prioritize their lives correctly.
Moreover, a person who cannot live within their means and cannot maintain a balance between "want and can" can quickly fall into debt, which does not contribute to a happy and peaceful life.
Feel Your Wholeness
You are not the value of your car or the amount in your bank account. Those who constantly want more will suffer from a sense of deprivation all their lives. And a person whose modest needs are met will be content with themselves.
Of course, this does not mean that one should renounce the benefits of civilization. The secret to happiness is to achieve a sense of inner wholeness and stop suffering from a lack of anything.
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