By | Roselle Umlas | hackspirit.com
Ask any of the happiest people you know what makes them happy, and I’m willing to bet their answer will have nothing to do with material possessions.
That’s interesting, isn’t it? Especially when you consider how consumerist our culture has become.
The truth is, the happiest people on earth are quite the exception, in the sense that they are immune to materialism and all the trappings of success.
Why is that the case? How come they don’t fall into the trap of wishing for more, more, more?
In this article, I’ll talk about nine reasons why they don’t care about material possessions. I’m pretty sure we can all learn from their wisdom!
1) They understand that happiness is an inside job
First things first – the happiest people know that happiness is a state of mind.
For some people, they’ll only realize this when they’ve finally gotten everything they wished for – fancy cars, designer clothes, a posh lifestyle – and yet they feel like something’s missing.
For others, it may come in the face of a loss. Maybe their business failed or they lost their job, and they suddenly have to downsize to a simpler lifestyle.
I know some people who have gone through this, and every single time, they’ve come out the other end feeling much more content and happy. Despite having less!
You know why? Because with all of those material distractions gone, they had to discover other ways to be happy. And when you don’t have much, what do you have left to focus on?
Well, your relationships. Your health. Experiences like learning something new or visiting new places.
That shift in focus is what leads us to the realization that happiness is a matter of perspective. And that the pursuit of happiness is active, not passive, not dependent on external factors.
We won’t be happy “when [insert goal] happens.” We DECIDE to be happy, no matter our circumstances.
