The Squire’s Core Belief #1 – Happiness Matters
When we read the United States Declaration Of Independence in school, I found it so interesting that it mentions the right to pursue happiness. In fact, I found it a bit inspiring. It seemed that adults only cared and talked about work, so it was nice to know that it wasn’t just kids that wanted to have fun. Over the years since, I would catch myself worrying more than I needed to, and that I myself wasn’t pursuing happiness as much as I could. So, I decided to take this challenge on myself, and made it a point to take a step back and examine my life from time to time and see if I am truly making this one of my goals.
Don’t get me wrong, it is easy to get caught up in following a goal someone else has set for me. It’s easy to stress about my job for good and bad reasons. It is hard not to follow constant news and social media updates encouraging me to worry about something else. I have found that sometimes I need to remind myself that I am on my own unique journey, and I have a say over many of the choices I make. For me, when I have more joy in my life, I feel better, I’m more motivated and productive, and I’m easier to be around.
I applied my thinking about happiness after I got my first post-college job, looked at my first few paychecks, and realized that I wasn’t getting paid as much as many of my friends. However, I did come home from work most days in a good mood, and spent my evenings and weekends enjoying life. I wasn’t waking up very stressed, and I felt pretty healthy. I was challenged at work, but didn’t come home spent and without energy. I was developing bonds with friends and co-workers, and was in a happy place. This was probably a combination of being fortunate with my job and colleagues, trying to minimize stressful situations, and focusing on the positivity in my life. When I talked with friends, it sounded like many of them were not feeling this way. Work was something they were dreading and the stress was bleeding into their evenings and weekends and relationships. At this point in my life, I could have applied for higher paying jobs, or gone back to school for a master’s or doctorate degree for greater recognition and higher pay. However, this was not the path I wanted to take. I liked the flexibility and joy I was getting, and decided to continue on the path I was on.
I realized I was fortunate, and decided that happiness would become one of the factors I would consider when making big decisions throughout my life. So, when looking at a job opportunity, relationships with friends, living situations, and other important and even trivial opportunities presented to me, I typically weigh in the happiness factor, and I’m usually glad when I do. That’s not to say that there aren’t negative consequences to consider when I’ve chosen the happier path.
We chose the house that didn’t require as much up front work, and it was closer to work and in our preferred school district, but it sure did cost more than a fixer-upper further away. I chose the job that sounded more interesting with better hours, even though it didn’t pay as much as longer hours at a private firm. From a money perspective, these decisions meant that our journey toward financial independence would likely take longer. However, from a peace of mind perspective, our lives are probably happier during our working years. This also allows for us to spend more positive energy on our kids, and others we are with.
Don’t get me wrong, it is healthy to be a little uncomfortable, and living a completely stress-free life may not present as many necessary challenges that we all need to learn and improve and contribute towards society. But too much stress and anxiety for long periods of time can be unhealthy. When I am spending large amounts of time working on unfulfilling projects or spending time with people I don’t get along with or commuting in rush hour traffic, it takes a toll on me mentally and physically, and at times has brought me close to feeling depressed.
Happiness is something that I try to pursue in my life, even though it likely will extend my journey toward financial independence.
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Reader Questions
- How do you react to stress? Is money one of your top stresses?
- What are some things that take priority over happiness?
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