5 Affordable Secrets to Real Happiness

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Most people find happiness and an abundant life far from their reach. Many think they can afford it if they have more money than their current financial obligations. Others believe that if they had the sweetest spouse, they could achieve self-actualization. Others think they can find it in publicity and grandeur.

People try reaching out to all these things. The majority end up stressed or even sad. There seem to be endless voids in their hearts.

Could there be something that can make a difference that anyone can afford? What is the essence of hiding happiness in the Maldives, Acapulco, or Seychelles, so that only a sample of the entire third planet can afford it?

I tend to think that everyone can afford real happiness; happiness that has nothing to do with things. Some of these things, which are available only to the high and mighty, can be a spoiler. They create unnatural appetites and a spirit of competition. This withers up the currents of life.

I want to give you five secrets to happiness that everyone can afford. Most of us don’t think about them when we think about happiness. We’ll cover:

• Avoid Spaces Where You Are Not Celebrated
• The Consciousness of Right-doing
• Giving Your Absolute Best Everywhere
• Living Within Your Means
• Learning a New Thing

Avoid Spaces Where You Are Not Celebrated

If there is something that all human beings share in common, it is the fact that we like being celebrated. It is fulfilling to hear statements like “I like your choice of adjectives.” Compliments like “You have a nice name” are also appreciated. Hearing “You are so good at this thing” is gratifying. We thrive in celebration and appreciation.

On the same note, we have those places and spaces where we are served scorn and humiliation. We are reminded that what we have to offer is not good enough. We are confronted with the fact that we are not good enough. Haven’t you felt out of place in some space you are struggling to fit in?

Look at that relationship you’re forcing, and things just can’t work. You have turned their inbox into a dustbin of ‘hi.’ They don’t seem sensitive to your need for conversation. You know they are avoiding you, but you keep on trying and even begging for their attention. Maybe I can celebrate you and award you with a Ph.D. in engineering; you are an engineer of your own sadness!

To be happy, avoid spaces where you are not celebrated.

The Consciousness of Right-doing

This is something most people do not know. Sometimes we think we will be the happiest if we tune the frequencies of mirth and bliss. In our natural skin, we tend to think that happiness is hidden in the forbidden fruit. The things we are told not to do excite our insatiable curiosity. We believe we will be happy if we can just get them.

But to all those seeking pleasure in the forbidden ground, here is your dose: 

“The consciousness of right-doing is the best medicine for diseased bodies and minds.”

—Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol 1, P. 34.

 In everything you do, ensure no heinous motives or self-centred prospects motivate you.

Doing what is right may not be respected by the sagging morals of these times. However, there is no true happiness in defying our convicted moral principles. Two students can pass a tough paper using orthodox and unorthodox techniques. They will all be happy to have made it. But it is more satisfying and rewarding to know that you have made it to the summit through hard work.

He who lands on the summit of a tall mountain is not a mountaineer.

The happiest people are not the ones who seem to be in the hot parties with dazzling sights and tempting sounds. Instead, those who have a clear conscience with everything and everyone. 

Giving Your Absolute Best Everywhere

Sometimes we create room for the unpleasantries of life by denying ourselves the privileges of our whole effort.

The majority of human beings are willing to lift a finger on duties which demand quickened loins and engaged muscles. Sometimes you are not celebrated because there is much you can do, but you’re swimming in slothfulness. And sometimes there is nothing to celebrate really.

Let it be that you have done the very best you can do and fail to get appreciation because of other factors that you can’t influence. In most cases, our very best will attract appreciation.

We can achieve a lot if we engage our entire being in whatever we do. To put it succinctly, our very best will always be good enough for an unbiased appraisal. If you have done your best, you have a right to be happy even if no one recognizes it. The reverse is true too.

Living Within Your Means

All of us want the very best of everything. And that is okay. It shows we are rational consumers.

But, there is an egregious trait with people who don’t have the financial ability—expensive appetites that they can’t fund. In contrast, many tycoons go for simple things, which is a debatable concept and another issue altogether.

All factors held constant; it is safe to live within your means. Insist on only ordering the things you can afford. Don’t accept to go with friends to a food outlet that is above your means (amount you’re willing to use on food at a time) when you are not sure who’s picking the tap.

You should realize that we all would love to have our honeymoon in the Maldives. However, we all can’t afford it and that is okay. Life is beautiful that way. When it is my turn to go to Seychelles for the holidays, I don’t want to find everyone there. When it is my time to fly to Kisumu, I don’t want to find everyone in the airport.

Is life not beautiful when it is balanced like that? Those high-end orderings are beautiful because of their costs. If the prices crowd you out, don’t force issues and get there. You will be sad when you get back home and realize you have more month at the end of money.

Don’t go into debt, overstretching to finance your expensive appetites. Whatever the pressure, just live within your means. There are a lot of good things that you can afford with that thin paycheck. Find out what that is and force your appetite to conform.

Learning a New Thing

Did you know that learning a new thing is therapeutic? It is also a safe, rewarding system because you’re the one to decide if you have learned or not.

Having learning objectives adds colour to life and makes yourself more valuable than the day before. It may not be rocket science, but even small actions matter. Small things like how to make an international call or a greeting in a foreign language can be impactful.

The slight sense of accomplishment that comes with new knowledge, when gathered cumulatively, will make your life a happy one. No one is too poor to learn a new thing. 

Conclusion

We often associate happiness with things and status. We believe that gathering toys will make us the happiest. We think we can be the happiest if we get all we ever wanted.

Unfortunately, real happiness is not hidden in things. A happiness that is attached to things is a snare. It enslaves and ties us to a spirit of consumerism. Real happiness is just around us. we rub shoulders with it in our work and social settings. Every one of us can afford it.