Maybe Money CAN Buy Happiness

Can money buy happiness? It's easy to say no, and probably correct, but that's just a way to stop thinking about the tougher issues. What is your relationship to money, for example, and how do you use this most powerful of worldly tools?

Maybe you see that chasing after money for its own sake is destructive, but isn't it equally damaging to have such a powerful instrument in your hands while pretending it has no importance?

Money Is Important

Some say that money isn't important to them, but this isn't true. The truth is they don't see the importance. They make more than they need and yet complain they have no time for their children, when they could clearly trade time chasing money for time with their kids.

They want self-improvement, but instead of buying the tools to help them (a book, a class, a trip to a monastery) they put $800 televisions on credit cards. Then they work to pay for it all, taking even more time from their children and their own personal development.

It's not about televisions. They can be good things. It's about priorities. How we make money and how we spend money reveals ourselves. Do we like what we see? Clearly money is important.

Happiness

So, can money buy happiness? Well, it can help put the right conditions in place. Is it easier to be happy if you have food to eat? Whether you call that buying happiness or not, the understanding is more important than the argument.

Name any valuable goal or direction in your life. Can't you, with a little imagination, see how money might help? Earn your money in a healthy, satisfying way, and spend it wisely, and of course you have a better chance to be happy. Clearly we need a deeper understanding of this issue than a cliche can provide.

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.selfimprovementnow.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Happiness in hockey - Morgan Hill Times

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To find happiness, turn losses into wins - MSNBC

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28505633/cid=0ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNELoW0A1S9dvICCm-tNRmisImr0gwTo find bhappiness/b, turn losses into wins/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMSNBCnbsp;-/font nobr14 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1In quot;The Great Eight,quot; gold medal Olympian Scott Hamilton reveals the secrets to bhappiness/b that helped him through his battle with cancer. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Happiness flows through social networks - The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/01/happiness_flows_through_social.htmlcid=1287222093ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNEA-As6Mu0t9mO1CZrn7CA9s_BSJwimg src=http://nt1.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=OVNLEkKLHkAJimgurl=blog.syracuse.com/today/2009/01/medium_090105_smiley.jpg width=80 height=73 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/01/happiness_flows_through_social.htmlcid=1287222093ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNEA-As6Mu0t9mO1CZrn7CA9s_BSJwbHappiness/b flows through social networks/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Post-Standard - Syracuse.com,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) followed over 4000 people for 20 years and determined that bhappiness/b spreads through social networks b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jan/04/smiles-all-around/cid=1287222093ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNEkiUsUS0NXK9oQ7BOGkgmrgSvc8ANew study shows one person#39;s bhappiness/b is spread to others/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrVentura County Star/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287222093hl=ennobrall 3 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The Foundations of Happiness - Senior Times

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Keys to happiness - Alton Telegraph

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/keys_21997___article.html/church_music.htmlcid=0ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNHHy2RKISts9Z6oacftPcEFnCKBKwKeys to bhappiness/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAlton Telegraph,nbsp;ILnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By ANDE YAKSTIS Keys#39; beautiful voice brings the joy of gospel songs to people in churches across the River Bend. quot;I#39;ve been singing for the Lord since I b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Keys to happiness - GoErie.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20090105/NEWS02/301059911/-1/NEWS02cid=0ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNFSivd1eVimRUOKWpq2RkwCIOS7RQKeys to bhappiness/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fGoErie.com,nbsp;PAnbsp;-/font nobrJan 5, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By JENNIE GEISLER It#39;s lunchtime in Fairview Manor#39;s cafeteria. Trays clatter on large sturdy tables, chair legs scoot across the tile floor, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Feeling blue? Good news - its the colour of happiness - Daily Mail

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Billy Graham: Lasting happiness comes from knowing God - Kansas City Star

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/961924.htmlcid=1286620131ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNH6XSIyLUhPaqKKmVv_6W7iSuYQXwBilly Graham: Lasting bhappiness/b comes from knowing God/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKansas City Star,nbsp;MOnbsp;-/font nobrJan 2, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1In other words, they know from their own long experience that only Christ gives us lasting peace and bhappiness/b. Jesus’ words are true: “I have come that b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Money troubles mask happiness - News-Leader.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://www.news-leader.com/article/20090105/OPINIONS03/901050317/1006/OPINIONScid=0ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNFr9t_esDPKyqthoK_NrSvnarSSjgMoney troubles mask bhappiness/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNews-Leader.com,nbsp;MOnbsp;-/font nobrJan 5, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Growing up you always hear the old adage, quot;money can#39;t buy bhappiness/b,quot; but I can#39;t help but feel like that saying is quickly lost with childhood innocence. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

In love again: Kylie Minogue finds happiness on skiing holiday ... - Daily Mail

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4810557a1860.htmlcid=1287136331ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNE8PBqigHa2MpRWh1bU94WzydGyJQimg src=http://nt3.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=sxR2Gz2WtBYJimgurl=www.stuff.co.nz/images/779909.jpg width=67 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Stuff.co.nz/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1106643/In-love-Kylie-Minogue-finds-happiness-skiing-holiday-Olivier-Martinez-lookalike.htmlcid=1287136331ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNGkgkWzEWtOBLN1HrO0ugzxq-r50QIn love again: Kylie Minogue finds bhappiness/b on skiing holiday b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDaily Mail,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Bo Wilson Kylie Minogue seems happy to show the world she has found love again after splitting up from her boyfriend two years ago. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://www.defamer.com.au/2009/01/good_news_australia_-_kylies_love_life_appears_to_be_going_from_strength_to_strength.htmlcid=1287136331ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNFbOw6Yd7AFtbVOY5CgBZeXMiWLrgGood News, Australia - Kylie#39;s Love Life Appears To Be Going From b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrDefamer Australia/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-2fd=Rurl=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2094280.ececid=1287136331ei=r1xjSajaE9mpmQeB8_XsAwusg=AFQjCNEZP4qaMu3B9aTbQj2XdKyUbkAKWgKylie#39;s snowgirl tour/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Sun/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287136331hl=ennobrall 89 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Happiness - Google News

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