Why do
people feel happy when they buy their cars and houses? Well, the excitement or
happiness actually comes from the process of buying the assets. But will it
last? The sad truth is it will end sometime after everything has settled down.
One of human’s
unique ability is adaptation. It will cause everything to become a norm to
human after some time. So what will people do next? They will continue to seek
for similar happiness by wanting to buy more assets like new houses and new cars.
The desire to buy will never end because it is human’s natural instinct to seek
for happiness in life.
But is that
workable? Well, that will very much depend on how well the person is in managing
his or her lives financially. If they have the ability, or the assets are
actually their investment which makes even more money for them, then it is
fine. But this is not the case for many people. They might even fall into a
never ending financial trap if they are not careful in making decision.
What is the
worst thing that might possibly occur? For some people, it will become their worst
nightmare comes true. When you own a long term physical asset, it involves
having a long term commitment as well, followed by on-going maintenance. And most
of the time, that is not something that people will enjoy. So, this actually
counters happiness. You might end up having more unhappy days than happy days
after you owned the asset.
Another
negative emotion that a physical asset can bring is constant worries. You need
to take care of it, prevent it from damage, and prevent it from being stolen. This
creates some form of responsibility and form an emotional burden to the owner.
That is again not something that is enjoyable by people so it is countering
happiness as well.
But owning
a house is unavoidable for many people when they have their own family, which
is why many people will start to miss their childhood time when they have
nothing much to worry about. Responsibility only grows bigger when someone
grown into adulthood and it is something that is countering happiness.
Of course,
there will be a solution to that too. Besides being careful not to burden
yourself too much, i.e. buy expensive assets beyond your capability, there are some
ways on how to maintain the excitement with your house or car. The easiest
things to do would be by changing the interior design of your house with new
painting, different arrangement of furniture, or new decorations. This can give
you a whole new experience with your same house and you will regain the
satisfaction and happiness just like when you buy a new house. And sometimes it
does not even cost you a cent! See, this again proves that happiness has
nothing to do with how much you spend.
Just remember
the most important rule. Do not over burden yourself and buy according to your
ability with sufficient consideration. Happiness does not increase if the value
of the house or car you buy is more expensive. Happiness depends on the quality
of the experience or how meaningful the experience you have and it has nothing
to do money.
It is the
fresh experience, something out from your routine life that can gives you the
excitement and happiness. And helping people or bringing happiness to people
will be a meaningful experience which will also bring satisfaction and
happiness.
Therefore,
buying non-physical experience is one good choice of happiness source in your
life. How does good experience work? Memorable experience is something that
will enrich your life, something that will stay with you, and give you strength
and happiness when you reassess it in your memory. You will be more confident
and wiser than others when you have rich and diverse experiences that other
people do not have. It really serves as a powerful tool to the secret of owning
a long lasting happiness. Now, you can see that the benefits that a
non-physical asset brings have an even greater impact to our emotional level
compared to what a physical asset brings.
Examples of
non-physical experience are travelling, learning new things, helping others, and
bringing happiness to others. Events
like an unforgettable wedding or an adventure trip with your spouse all gives
you exceptional experiences, which forms stronger bonding in the marriage and
will also give you happiness whenever the memory is revisited. Memorable
experiences are something no one can steal away from you, and its value will
also grow over time. In other words, there is no such thing as depreciation for
your memorable experience, and it will only become more and more valuable in
your life. Now, do you still think that having a good vacation is a waste of
money and time? Think again!
Just try it
out! Even small things like cleaning or rearranging your room, kitchen, or car
to make it looks nice, and helping people or bringing people happiness like
giving surprise to your parents or spouse will give you fresh and meaningful
experience, which is the magical
ingredient for a happy life! Learn to adopt the art of giving, and be aware
that selfishness is a negative emotion that burdens and reduces your happiness
level. With that, I hope that there will be more smiles and the world would be
a better place to live in.
