Your friends have just returned from another adventure of a life time. The pictures they have shared on all their social media platforms are mind blowing. You're jealous. They are deliriously happy. You so desperately want their life.
It's not as difficult as you think. Your friends know the secret. It's not actually much of a secret at all. Spend less money on stuff that means nothing, put y our money in a trip account and once a year, go on the adventure of a life time, until next year's adventure.
So many of us spend our money on things. Bigger TV' s, newer clothes, latest electronic gadgets and other random thing. We are victims of flyers and sales. As soon as the computers go on sale, we rush out to buy a new one, even though there is nothing wrong with the one we currently have. Our car is only 5 years old but the newer models are so much nicer. W e want stuff, lots of it, and it sometimes it doesn't even matter if it's new or old. If we come across a great deal on a second hand item, we buy it simply because it was a good deal. We didn't even need the item, but we certainly couldn't pass up that deal.
So how happy does your stuff make you? Better yet, how much happier do you think you would be if you spent your money on life and experiences rather than stuff? Here are a few reasons you should think about if you are looking for more happiness.
1. Go and see the concert of P!NK instead of watching it on that new 63" TV.
Can you imagine what it would feel like to see your favourite performer live? That experience is by far better than any live DVD. You will hold that memory with you forever. The sounds, the lights, the energy, the vibration. You will never forget that. Wouldn't you rather spend your money on that?
2. Join your friends on their next adventure.
Pictures are nice. The Discovery channel is great. What would it actually be like to portage down that river, or hike in the jungle with monkeys all around you, or even surf with waves as high as the sky? Being there is going to be exhilarating. When was the last time you felt that?
3. Imagine the lessons you will learn.
Depending on where your travels take you, you will learn valuable and great lessons about the culture, the land and the history. Way better than reading Wikipedia in my opinion. Learning is fun, I say.
4. With lessons comes gratitude.
And gratitude makes us happy. When you go on a life changing vacation, you become grateful for the things you experience and the fact that you were even able to go on this trip. You will find gratitude like you've never known before. Bye bye Oasis Channel.
5. Face a fear anyone?
You've seen the pictures of your friends zip lining and as fun as it looks, it also scares the bejesus out of you. Scared or not, you still want to do it. When you go an adventure you know it will be ridiculous for you to have come all this way and not go zip lining through the rainforest. You will be challenged to f ace a fear. And you will overcome it. You will zip line and you will be crazy silly happy about it afterwards.
6. I think I found myself.
It's very possible that you have been stuck or trapped in your own life for so long and going on this adventure could shake up your world to the point where you find your purpose or reignite your passion. Often people will have life changing experiences while on vacation, come back and redirect their lives. And be happier for it. This may happen to you.
7. Be the change for others.
Once you start spending your money on life experiences instead of things, your friends may start following suit. They will see that you are having the time of your life and notice how much happier you are. If we can inspire others to live happier with less stuff and more experiences, well that will just make us happier too.
I get that there are some things we own that do make us happy but there comes a point when we keep buying stuff and we're still not happy. It's not the stuff. It will never make you happy. It's the life experiences that will.
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