Importance of Happiness

summer, holidays, vacation, happy people concept - group of frieEveryone may have similar things that make them happy, but what in particular makes you happy? Some are easily pleased with the smallest of pleasures, like seeing a baby smile or warm socks on a cold day.

Then there’s the cold beer on a hot day crowd, and if you really want to raise the happiness bar add a side of salty fries. OK I’m getting a little too simple, but I’m just sayin’.

Riding in a limousine is certainly up there on the happiness meter. Usually it means that there’s a special occasion afoot. Wedding, anniversary, prom, big deal date, the list goes on. Or maybe it’s just a ride to the airport and you can sit back knowing you’ve earned the right to let yourself be chauffeured around like the royalty you are.

We are all over the map with what makes us happy.

Being happy differs culture to culture. Why would anyone – at least not anyone I know want to be subjected to pain and torture to enter the right of manhood? I mean have you seen the National Geographic specials where the young men are pierced in places that I will not mention to gain the entrance into manhood? In a word – Yikes! Nonetheless that makes them happy because they are officially regarded in a higher esteem by their fellow kinsmen.

Read more

Financial Freedom Equals Choices

FreedomI would much rather have the freedom to make my own decisions than have some politician dictate the best way to live my life.

“When you create financial freedom you are more able to step into your purpose on the planet.” Kate Northrup, author of Money: A Love Story.

Freedom is my on-going article theme and probably always will be. I frequently write about it because it is the very foundation of what makes me happy. I believe that people in general respond more to freedom than anything else.

Freedom shows up in many forms.

Ask yourself; wouldn’t you rather be picked up at the airport when returning from vacation by a stretch limo, fully stocked and equipped with Wi-Fi rather than an old Yugo that’s missing a rear brake light? Of course you would! When you think of financial freedom, you think of a life with choices along with luxury preferences.

Read more

Kick it Up a Notch with Positive Affirmations

positive thinkingDoes being excited by life seem like something reserved for children? Are we too old, too responsible, to get caught up in surviving to be excited? A lot of us have simply forgotten to even let ourselves be excited when it comes to everyday living. After all we do the same thing in pretty much a routine way day after day. So what’s to be excited about, you might ask? To be honest we have to look a little harder and appreciate a little more.

It goes back to mindset. If we have the right outlook on life we open ourselves to options that otherwise might be missed. One way to do broaden our awareness is to simply affirm a good life.

Read more

Scam or Not A Scam?

scam-alertThere are a lot of scams out there that have gotten very practiced in their methods of separating honest people from their hard earned cash. There isn’t one of us who hasn’t been taken at one time or another.

Even a small thing like driving your car to a local restaurant for their weekly special, only to find out the deal wasn’t that great, and to top it off, on your way out you notice you left your car lights on, your battery’s dead and now you need raleigh roadside assistance or a tow truck to take you home.

The point being, things can escalate quickly and can turn into something much bigger like the housing debacle of the recent past where you found yourself trusting the wrong people with your investment and lost a bundle. I think the overall awareness and subsequent paranoia grew exponentially starting back a few years ago with Enron which boldly and flagrantly took people’s monetary futures away.

Read more