Can Money Buy Happiness? The Answer Revealed!

Can money buy happiness? Isn't that the question of the century? Money and happiness have often been pitted against each other. The popular belief, as evidenced by the number of children's stories with such a theme, is that money can't buy you happiness.

They say, you can have everything in the world but if you don't have friends or anyone to share those things with, it's pointless. They also say that, the more money you have, the more things you end up wanting. It's a vicious cycle, so they say.

But what if money can indeed buy you happiness? You might think this is all crazy talk but there is growing research that suggests otherwise. So can money buy happiness? Read on and make your own conclusions.

1) Great Expectations

Perhaps we have been looking at money and happiness the wrong way all our lives. For example, we pine after the newest laptop or gadget for months, imagining the day when we can finally buy it with our hard earned money.

When the day comes and we bring our newest baby home, we end up feeling a little less enthralled. We automatically think: Money doesn't buy happiness. Look at where it got me.

But according to research, our dissatisfaction has less to do with money and more to do with our uncanny ability to adapt. As human beings, we adapt to our environment very quickly. And so, when the newness of the laptop wears off, so does the feeling of joy, and we automatically equate the sudden drop of energy to being unhappy.

2) Buying the Experience

So if buying that new laptop or that latest designer bag won't make us happy, what will? And how does money fit into the picture? Well, those are very good questions.

Having a lot of money is a good thing because it allows you access to certain "experiences" that elude other people of lesser means. That's right. The key word here is experience.

With money, you can easily sweep your whole family off to the Alps for some first-class skiing. That experience will live on in your memory. If you have a penchant for music, you can easily get yourself trained in the instrument of your choice. Using your money to acquire experiences will make you happy.

3) Generous Proportions

So how else can money buy happiness? You know that warm feeling you get when you help someone in need? You can also do that with money.

Since you don't have to worry about running out of cash anytime soon, you can selflessly donate some of them to charity. Or buy a homeless man a really good meal or a change of clothes. Whatever your form of charity is, it is easier and more plausible with money involved.

So do you think money can buy happiness? If you ask me, I say, absolutely. The more money you have, the more you can give of yourself to others. The trick here is to know how to use the money correctly.

It's Attitude That Counts!

There is a lovely, perhaps simplistic story about a father and his young son who were taking a walk in the countryside. As you read this, keep in mind, that the simplest of tales often teach the most important lessons.

It was a beautiful day, but the ground was rocky and as the two climbed a steep hill the boy tripped and injured himself. He yelled out in pain. He was puzzled by his yelling resounding back to him. The boy, no longer concerned about his injury, was fascinated by this and called back, "Who are you?" He was rewarded by a bounce back of his question. The boy then began to send different messages to the mountain, some threatening, some admiring, just anything, to see what might happen. Whatever message he sent out to the mountain, the exact message bounced back.

The son was confused and asked his father what was going on. His dad explained that what he was hearing was in fact, an echo. "But," he warned, "it is much more than that. This is very much like life itself. The echo that you are hearing gives back to you, whatever message you send".

The boy was confused. The father then went on to explain the parallel. He told his son that if we want to create more love in the world we must allow more love in our hearts. If we want more compassion, then we must be compassionate. If we are part of a team and the team is less than competent, then it is up to us to take the initiative, to be in the driver's seat, and through appropriate attitude, promote more competence.

"Whatever you achieve in life," said his father "is a direct reflection of the kind of person you are. If you work to be the best person you can be, your life will be accordingly enriched. You see, your life is not a coincidence. Rather, it's a reflection of you, of your actions, of your attitude to the world."

So how does this simple analogy relate to you and me in our everyday living? Let's see. Have you ever got out of bed in the morning, in a bad mood, to find that everything that day went against you? It didn't matter what you did, either at home or work, everything appeared to be out of kilter.

You know, whether you like it or not, that was your choice! The reason for your bad attitude is unimportant, but choosing to have one is extremely important. Your mood set the pattern for the day. Because of it you found everything to complain about, the traffic congestion, the elevator at work not functioning, and the coffee being cold. The list could go on!

Now try to imagine that same day once more. Decide to embrace an absolutely positive, unshakable attitude for the rest of the day. Are you ready? Now, you get into your car for work and ten minutes into your journey you find that there has been an accident on the road and traffic is banked up. Consequently your journey to work has slowed down to a snail's pace. You refuse to be upset! It just means that now you have time to listen to the news on the radio, maybe stretch your vocal cords on one of your favourite songs, or think about a work-related problem that is waiting for you to deal with in the office.

Later, when you get to work, you have to climb the stairs because the elevator has mal-functioned. You reason to yourself that at least you're doing some exercise. Your heart-beat is elevated and you're using up energy. At last you reach the fifth storey of the building where you work. By that time you have decided that you could really do this every day, given that you don't use a walking stick or need a wheel chair! You grab a well-earned coffee. It turns out to be lukewarm. "So what?" you think. "Some people can't afford a cup of coffee.So you drink the coffee and are thankful that you have the money to buy it in the first place. Life isn't too bad.

So you see, what started off as a potentially bad day, ended up being an exceptionally good one. You made not one, but a series of good choices to see the positives in so many of your situations, the choice to put up with things, the choice to smile and be in a good mood, the choice to see the other side of the equation, the choice to echo something good to the world at large. Bet your bottom dollar, when you demonstrated that positive attitude, everyone noticed. I'll bet too, that the people working with you were more productive that day. That's right! Your attitude would have had a profound effect on their attitude. That's a bit of a scary thought is it not?

So next time you feel that the world owes you something, next time you feel grumpy, why not stop and turn it around and ask what you owe the world? Be assured that your debt to the world will far outweigh anything the world owes you. And always be mindful that any messages that you send out on any day, will surely be echoed right back to you.

Decide to make each day a good one and see where life takes you.

Ready And Aim First Before You Fire

Aiming is a process in planning which takes time and should be done before you could fire your way into into a successful career, organization, relationships, and life in general. I have seen a similar thing in some people’s professional and personal lives most of the time. Several individuals get themselves ready and equipped with power thinking, influential friends, and advanced education, but they usually fire before they even aim. I can still recall an experience of a neighbor of mine which he fondly told me about. When he was just in his teenage years, he and his dad always loved to go on a hunting spree.

They will hunt whatever animal that happened to be in season at that time and anything else that moves. Especially if there were snakes, but that’s another story. On one of their hunting trips, he and his father were about 30 yards from each other just patiently waiting for a certain kind of bird to fly over. My neighbor’s mind was so concentrated and focused, and his gun was now loaded. He was so ready and he promised himself he is going to “outshoot” his father on this particular hunting session. Well, he was already for any encounter and in his “ready” position when he pulled the gun’s trigger by accident.

Bang! As his shotgun let off a loud shoot, he then realized that his shotgun was aiming just within a few feet away from where his father was situated. In his excitement, he obviously fired before he aimed the gun and he almost killed his dad in the process. Now you may ask, “I already know how to fire, and how to get ready but how do I really take aim and then fire?” Or, “Is this just another one of those ‘how to set your goals’ exercises?” no, but in fact this is an exercise in planning your life.

So I made a list of some of the questions given below which could bring out the creative and imaginative part of your brain and in the process, help you build and establish your aim so that you would be able to attain the kind of career, organization, relationships and life that you always aspired for. Planning your life with exact AIM: 

1. Do you have anybody or a person in your life to hold you responsible or accountable so you do not fire before you have taken aim or before you’re ready?  

2. What standards of excellence, specific review or constant growth of progress do you really need?  

3. A good system is much better than a good friend when it comes to planning your life. So, what’s on your to-do list of activities today which would help you be more like your picture tomorrow?  

4. And, where do you want your career, organization, relationships and life to be in the next five years, next decade, or the next 20 years?

One way to answer this effectively is to draw a picture. This picture would give you a sense of purpose, energy, and the drive. It will also make you visualize what you're truly aiming at.

Get the Job You Want, Even if No One is Hiring

How to Ace Job Interviews

Video Summary:

In any job interview you are likely to be asked at least one trap question, and with the current job market we certainly can't afford to fall in the trap. Here to help you ace your interview and land the job is career expert, Ford R. Myers.

Inspirational Quotes and Stories

Some quotes and stories for you to live your life.

Two Days

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry. Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone!!

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask of clouds. But it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day: today.

Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of two awful eternities - yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not necessarily the experience of today that disturbs one's peace of mind. It is often time the bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore live one day at a time.

NEVER ATTRIBUTE TO MALICE THAT WHICH CAN BE
ADEQUATELY EXPLAINED BY STUPIDITY.

you are not sucessful at something you never worked everyday

there's no ugly people. only lazy people
everything worth having is worth working hard for


I've missed more than 9000 shots. I've lost almost 300 games. I've failed over and over again in my life And that is why I succeed.

We must always make sure the juice is worth the squeeze
Know the consequences before u take action.


You can choose to sleep and dream or u can choose to work hard and achieve those dream.


Of Sand and Stones...

There is a story of two friends who were walking through a desert. At a certain point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one right across the face. The one who got slapped was very hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my closest friend slapped me."

The two friends kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to go into the water. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After the friend recovered from near drowning, he carved out on a stone: "Today my closest friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it." 

Why you need to strictly manage your employees

This is on Why you need to strictly manage your employees

If you own a large business and have many employees, it’s time to evaluate your employees. Employees play the biggest part in your business. They’re the reasons why a customer won’t come back or the reason why you will have a lawsuit. They’re also the reasons why customers would also come back and buy more. They’re also the reason why you lose each quarter to theft and other types of fraud.Employees are the number one reason that can destroy a business too. Well, a one million dollar lawsuit could destroy any type of business. You might not even earn that much in a year worth of profit and your insurance would go way high after you lose the lawsuit. Although employees are a critical part of a business, I have yet to see that many managers hire terrible employees and employees who would end up stealing from them.

I have worked at many places and at each place; there were at least three to ten employees that would end up with theft problems. How about the ones that they didn’t catch? You would probably have another four to ten that would steal the next quarter. Yes, employees steal all the time. Isn’t it ashamed because they promise you the moon and star when you hire them at first? You do need to look out for theft all the time and this is even truer in a large corporation. Cameras will do the trick sometimes but what if your camera man fell asleep. They will steal be able to do some other type of frauds. There are many ways to steal and taking cash isn’t just one of them.

One of the best ways to prevent theft is do a thorough background check on the applicant. If they have a criminal background and poor credit then they will most likely to repeat the offense. What is there to lose if you already have a bad background? Many employers do background checks nowadays but there are some that don’t do it because they only pay minimum wage. Well, if you don’t do a $15 background check, you will end up with a $10,000 theft. The latter is costlier. This is why you should spend that little extra money to ensure a good employee. If someone has a clean record, chances are they will not steal from you. You can analyze them according to their past behavior. It’s now always accurate but at least you will get some insight into the individual’s past.

Although employees play a critical role in a business’s success, I have seen many problematic employees problems continue without a resolution. If you don’t fix them when they’re small, you will suffer when they become a huge problem. Employees that don’t do the minimum part of their jobs should not be able to continue doing their job. You should always let go of terrible employees and there are many terrible employees out there. I’m a customer and I come across them daily. It’s lesser of a problem when you come across more professional companies but when you hit the grocery store or the mall, they are all over. They ignore you and then give you crazy dirty looks. I always wonder what is wrong with me every time I go to Albertson. The employees at the guest service counter always give me dirty look for buying some money order. If they do this to every one of your guest, I bet they will all try to shop for grocery elsewhere. If you’re a manager, you should hire high quality employees to lessen problems and to reduce turnover or termination problems. If you hire poor employees, you will have to suffer the consequences of theft, lawsuit, poor work quality and just about everything else.

Money Plus Status does not Equal Happiness

Happiness is such a complex word. Depending on where we are in life, happiness can mean so many things. As a teenager, it is likely that happiness is more defined by how many friends we have and how we fit in to the world around us. As we get older, happiness starts being defined by where we live, what we drive, what we "do", and how many perfect children we have. The older we get the higher the stakes are, and by midlife people are in crisis because they are not in a place they feel they should be by the age they have now reached. Sadly, people can go through their whole life thinking that these are things that bring us happiness - if only we could attain them.

Happiness does not have to be so complex though. Many people are just simply not aware of the fact that what we once thought would bring us true and lasting happiness, we may have already attained. The fact that we are not sensing the true happiness we thought we would have at that point is a big part of the reason that people do not think they have accomplished anything. Without the happiness in place, people set the bar higher and higher. I remember being a teenager thinking that if I could just have my very own apartment and a good job to support me, I would be happy. When I got that apartment and job, I did not relish in my success. I was thrilled to be where I was, for that moment, but the thrill was very short lived. In time, the apartment was not good enough and I did not think I was driving the right car. And even moreso, I needed a better job. And so it goes. I have since attained better apartments, better cars, and better jobs. I am now in my second house. Part of this is the natural progression of building a career but where does it end? History would teach me that I should now be striving for an even bigger and better house, bigger and better car and bigger and better job until....? After all, I will still be in the work force for 25-30 more years! This house, car and job can not be all there is to life, can it?

Society is our biggest enemy. It tells us that by a certain age we should have certain things in place in our lives. But the truth of the matter is, a high powered senior level executive at one of the nations top companies; a person who can have anything and everything he or she might want may also be very unhappy. As we get older, it becomes more and more apparent that if we are not doing something we enjoy doing, there is no job, house or car that will make us happy or give us the true inner peace that we all desire. I would wager a high bet that a woman who loves to cook and owns a small bakery is far happier making a modest living surrounded by her family and friends than the high powered executive is with all his toys and houses.

It is a given that family and friends are so important to all of us. But in search of attaining our "status" in life, we do not give near enough time to the people who are close to us, especially the kids. Oftentimes the stress of the job or other work related obligations takes us away from the one sure thing that can make us happy - spending time and making a difference in other people's lives. Why do we sacrifice this? This search for status also leaves out one very important aspect of life - is what you are doing truly making you happy? Not happy because the money is good or happy because it looks good to the world but happy because it feels right deep inside your heart?

Some would argue that the right thing to do when you reach a goal is to set a new and higher one. In many places in life that is a good and appropriate thing to do. However, if you are finding that every time you reach a goal you have to set a new one because the original one did not cut it, maybe it is time you start questioning whether or not you are doing what you are truly meant to be doing in this lifetime. It is a hard pill to swallow but we should not care what society tells us we should be doing by a certain age. I hear these kind of statements all the time "I am 30, I thought I would have a house by now" or "I am 40, I thought I would be a senior manager by now". We strive for these things because we think that is what success looks like. In reality though, once you attain it, if it is not what your heart desires, it only looks good to everyone else and makes you incredibly unhappy. Do we live our lives for ourselves or do we live them for others? Does happiness mean siting at home thinking, "Look at me, I bet everyone thinks I am really successful!" The truth is, if you are not doing something that is fulfilling and meaningful to you then you are not successful no matter how it looks to everyone else. If you are happy doing something you love doing and as a result you have the time and energy to spend with your family and friends, it does not matter one bit what the rest of the world thinks.

It's not an easy task to put aside all our preconceived notions and old tapes that replay in our heads.  However, if you look inside your heart and spend some time really analyzing how happy you truly are without regards to anyone or anything else, you just might realize the necessary steps you need to take in your life.