I recently saw this quote on Facebook and thought to myself how pertinent this is to life today. Above all, happiness is the new rich, because if you’re not happy every part of your life is impacted upon. This is the reason that this quote resonated with me a lot.
How many times have you seen wealthy people and celebrities suffering from ill-health, drug addiction and mental stress? I can name at least twenty or more people that despite wealth and fame are among the most unhappiest people in the world.
If we take a look at each aspect of our lives separately, then it all makes sense. The happiest people I know aren’t rich, but they’re generally healthy, live peacefully and simply, are kind and giving and are grateful for the blessings that they have in their lives.
If we can’t find peace and forgiveness within ourselves, then we will spend the rest of our lives feeling resentful, bitter and vengeful. I used to waste a lot of time dwelling on past wrongs in my life and feeling bitterness towards the people that I thought caused it. I would spend hours and many sleepless nights going over and over in my head how I was wronged. It eventually reached boiling point and I realised I had to start letting this torment go. So I did something about it and I spoke to the people closest to me about my feelings and sought counselling.
Fortunately I was aware of my problem, took positive actions to resolve it and eventually let it all go. I found that I had to rid myself of a few toxic people in my life and learnt to forgive others. It was a little like spring cleaning, but instead of material objects it was a cleansing of feelings and memories.
So my advice is to try to find inner peace in your life. If you have to make drastic changes in order to find peace then by all means make them. Let go of the past and focus on the now. Believe me it will make a big difference to your happiness and wellbeing. I’ve found that counselling can be particularly helpful in resolving issues that threaten your inner peace and happiness. These days it’s as easy as going online and seeking professional help with BetterHelp. Their group of professional counsellors make it accessible, affordable, convenient – so anyone who struggles with life’s challenges can get help, anytime, anywhere.
Isn’t this the truth? Without good health, it impacts on everything else in our lives. I can’t imagine having bad health, a chronic illness or relying on drugs to help me get through the day. Maintaining good health is probably the number one thing that we can all do that assists us in having a happier and better life.
A healthy diet and regular exercise not only keeps our insides working at a premium, but it also helps us feel better about ourselves mentally and emits all those ‘feel good’ hormones. I honestly feel much happier if I have eaten healthy food, exercised and taken time out for me every day.
Make your health your number one priority and start that new healthy food regime, join a gym or get up an hour earlier in the morning to go for a walk and start taking care of your body. After all this body is the only one you’re given – so take care of it!
Have you ever noticed how good you feel about yourself if you show kindness to others? Even doing something small like helping a little old lady with her heavy groceries or offering to help out at a fundraiser, can leave a footprint. Kindness is one thing that I feel is totally lacking in today’s society. Everyone is so busy and self-centred that they have forgotten about core values of kindness and compassion.
That’s why showing kindness is very cool. It not only contributes to making the world a better place, but it helps tremendously with retaining good relationships with those closest to us. Kind people are very high on my list and I like to surround myself with compassionate soles that I know will have my back in times of need.
If we could all learn to be happy with one another and with the blessings we have been handed in life then we would all be filthy rich. This sounds ideal in theory, but in reality I can only count on one hand how many people I know are genuinely happy. Mostly we all like to whine and whinge about our jobs, our spouses, our kids, our aches and pains and our government!
It is said that: “a negative mind will never give you a positive life”. To be honest I’m inclined to get together with my friends and whine about all types of issues and at times I do get a negative mindset. But mostly I like to seek positive company and talk about future aspirations, holidays, the latest fashion finds and what my kids have been up to.
I believe creating happiness is a juggling act. You only occasionally get all of your balls in the air at once. The rest of the time you might drop one of the balls, but that’s ok – none of us are perfect. There will be times in our lives when sadness, resentment, anger and frustration creep in. That is how life goes – a series of bumps and hurdles that have to be negotiated.
To sum it all up here is one of my favourite quotes about happiness:
What do you think are the main components to happiness? Do you agree with these?
For more great reading about happiness take a look at Leanne’s blog – Cresting The Hill.
This post is part of the Lovin’ Life Linky with a Lovin’ Life Team of the “ageing positively” kind who are as keen as I am to promote the Lovin’ Life mindset. The Lovin’ Life Team includes:
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Lydia C. Lee
August 17, 2017I do like that quote! I went to a talk and the guy said Inner peace was when we drowned out (tuned out) the chaos that our mind created. I thought that was an interesting way to look at it….
Kathy
August 17, 2017I can identify with this. My mind tends to working overtime on stupid little things! Yes I thought the quote was really pertinent to living today. #TeamLovinLife
Deborah
August 17, 2017Oh my god Kathy this is so true. I wrote a little while ago about my perception that my mother and my grandmother didn’t loll about contemplating work / life balance and inner peace etc. I’ve been pondering it since and think that social media and the immediacy of information and access to information means we can easily share our thoughts… so even though our mothers and grandmothers may have wondered about the point of it all, they didn’t really share those thoughts with anyone other than the neighbour over the fence. Perhaps.
Nowadays it’s acceptable to be unfulfilled and dissatisfied with our lives. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. Perhaps it’s just a thing. I think it’s more harmful though when we compare ourselves to those we believe have ‘more’ (or ‘less’ of the bad stuff) – whether it be money, happiness, inner peace etc…
Great post!
Kathy
August 17, 2017Thanks Deb. When I saw this quote I knew I had to write about from my point of view. I think our mothers and grandmothers lived in more simpler times and didn’t have the added pressure of living up to other’s expectations. They were happy with the simple things in life and in some respect it would be great to revert back to this type of life. Comparing ourselves with others that “appear” more successful or fulfilled or whatever is a futile exercise. That is one thing I’ve learnt from my life.
Ingrid @ Fabulous and Fun Life
August 17, 2017It’s so true that if you are not happy then it affects your whole life! I’d rather be mega happy than mega rich.
Having recently been quite sick I also totally agree with the importance of good health in our lives and that this is another factor that can impact on our happiness! Frequently we don’t realise how important good health is until we lose it!
Ingrid
http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au
Kathy
August 17, 2017I hope you’re on the mend Ingrid. I think a lot of us take our health for granted and it comes as a shock when it fails. I really like the concept of happiness above wealth. I see many more happy poor people than filthy rich ones! #TeamLovinLife
Min@WriteoftheMiddle
August 17, 2017You’re speaking my language Kathy! Love that quote and everything you’ve written here. Cheers to being rich, successful, wealthy and cool … in the new simple and more peaceful way! :-) #TeamLovinLife
Kathy
August 17, 2017I like the sound of this! Yes there are some good life lessons here just in one little quote.
jodie filogomo
August 17, 2017Gosh Kathy!! This is the best post ever!! This is exactly how it should be and truly what I strive for!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Kathy
August 17, 2017Thanks Jodie. I knew I had to write about this once I saw the quote. If only we could all take this advice onboard, then the world would be full of happy people! #TeamLovinLife
Jan Wild
August 17, 2017Love love the quote and everything you have written here Kathy, so true and so wise and all within our individual capability to change how we see the world and react to it.
Kathy
August 17, 2017Gosh I’m feeling like a wise old prophet! Seriously though this quote really resonated with me because it is 100% true. Here’s to happiness! #TeamLovinLife
Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au
August 17, 2017It’s a fantastic quote isn’t it Kathy? And I know exactly what you mean about spring cleaning relationships. I let a friend go a while back and I’ve had to do some major forgiving when there was no apology from a close family member – but it’s worth it in the end. Dwelling and re-hashing past hurts is so damaging to our own happiness. I’m also working on kindness and investing in others because that is so important too. Great post x
Kathy
August 17, 2017This quote is the best I’ve seen in a while. It’s going to be my new testament to living a happy and fulfilled life. I’ve had to do quiet a bit of spring cleaning and it has worked wonders. Out of sight, out of mind! #TeamLovinLife
Janet Camilleri aka Middle Aged Mama
August 18, 2017I love that final quote Kathy and am about to save it to Pinterest :-) and according to your definition I am a very wealthy woman :-)
Kathy
August 18, 2017I am happy to hear this Janet. I like hearing people say that they are happy with their lives. I am also a very wealthy woman! #TeamLovinLife
Lyndall @ SeizeThe Day Project
August 19, 2017I love this post Kathy. It’s so true – all of it! I think the key to happiness is realising that life is short and if you’re not happy now, you need to change something. Yes, you can control your own happiness! :) #TeamLovinLife
Kathy
August 19, 2017Thanks Lyndall. I do believe you can create your own happiness by letting go of all the things in the past and being forgiving. Making changes can be challenging but in the end it is worthwhile. :)
Jo
August 21, 2017Agree with all of this Kathy – it’s all so true. Many of us know this deep down, it’s basic life commons sense, BUT we choose to ignore it most of the time. It’s great to be reminded and encouraged by a post like yours, because life is short.
Kathy
August 21, 2017Life is too short for sure Jo. I need to remind myself all the time as I tend to get caught up in the negativity that surrounds me at times. Fortunately I have an uplifting group of friends and this helps keep the negativity at bay. The health one is also a biggie with me.
David
August 23, 2017Such an inspirational read, thanks. Not being happy has a ripple effect that affects all aspects of one’s life.
Kathy
August 23, 2017Thank you David. I truly believe the pursuit of happiness is an ongoing battle but fully worth pursuing.