My last few blogs have looked at success and the relationship with money. In this blog, I wanted to consider “the pursuit of happiness”.
When I googled happiness, I discovered that there are so many different views on the subject. I found it fascinating that one article considered the common belief in rich countries that people in Africa are poor but happy. Interestingly, despite this belief, no evidence supports the fact that the “poor” are happy.
But then we see people who “drop out” of mainstream society to live simpler lives.
A recent study showed that many of the top ten happiest countries are based in Europe:
At the bottom of the table are emerging economies:
Reading the articles, happiness is subjective. Some argue that being altruistic provides happiness. And yet, others find a burden in being altruistic. You can also see that people in the same country have different views on happiness.
After the Grenfell fire, two residents were interviewed. Both faced the same situation and were in the same position. One considered that they had lost everything and would never recover from this. Another appreciated that they had survived, acknowledging they had lost everything but had the opportunity to start again.
The World Happiness Report states this:
Where does this all lead us in the pursuit of happiness? One phrase that I see over and over again is “purpose and meaning”.
Coming from a wealthy nation, it is straightforward to say money doesn’t matter, but there is truth in “purpose and meaning”. Pursuing wealth for its own sake doesn’t necessarily buy happiness. We can see that it is a destructive force for some people who come into sudden wealth. Those lottery winners who seem happiest are those who make little changes to their lives. However, the ones we hear about are those who spend money on cars, houses, etc and find themselves unhappy.
The fact is that happiness, like success, is deeply personal to that person, but financial stability and security do matter. Perhaps the best place to start is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
All of these matter in the pursuit of happiness. In terms of “purpose and meaning”, this is important; but it is probably the hardest thing for us to consider.
Once we understand our values and what we want to do, then we can build plans. Those with a clear sense of purpose and who feel their lives have meaning tend to be more fulfilled and happier.
I have come across people who pursue wealth, buying houses and shiny things, yet never seem satisfied. Satisfaction is fleeting, meaning their whole life is one of dissatisfaction. Outwardly, they appear to be successful, but their happiness is short-lived.
I have also seen people “retire” at 55 from high-powered jobs and take a significant pay cut to do something they love and which makes them happy.
In conclusion, academic papers and books look at pursuing happiness. There seems to be no clear answer.
I do, however, believe that the starting point comes from Maslow; it indicates what people seek, but we must go further.
Understanding what we want to do and drawing up a plan to deliver on that provides purpose. Financial stability is part of that process and cannot be ignored, but the amount of money required depends on what we want to do.
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