We've learned that: "Money does not bring us happiness".
But lack of money doesn't either.
Yet, we are living on planet Earth where everything costs money.
Obviously, there are other important values also, but money is something that we need in order survive, to cover our needs, and to move forward in life.
Why do I think these two, happiness and money are correlated? I think you also know...
First of all, without having money, you cannot live a decent life and have the elementary things that every human being needs: food, clothes, shoes, shelter, health insurance etc.
I had never experienced the "homeless" position in this life, but many times I have felt helpless, hopeless, drawn, lost...
fortunately, I had luck to wake up before it was to late.
We also learn from our experiences in life, that in order to move forward with our lives or make projects for the future, we need money.
So we start to work on this and seek for a job, but sometimes we lose the job.
So, then we find another - If we found another job in a short time, we continue the "life travel"; same pattern everyday, every week...
and everything is OK.
The sun rises again every morning - this is the good scenario.
If we do not get a new job for a period of time and the money runs out, what then? We lose our self confidence, self worth and there comes the bad scenario...
Perhaps we didn't "lose" the job - we just "left it behind", because we didn't liked it, or the salary envelop was to "thin", or we didn't like the place, the boss, the whatever...
something drove us to quit the job.
If every one of us is thinking, and reflecting for few moments, we can see clearly that before we lost that last income, there was something in our minds that "worked quietly in the background" and built the "bad scenario".
In order to change a "bad scenario" to a "successful scenario", we should consider that losing a job is not always bad and understand that it can be for the best - a better job is waiting for us! (change of perception!).
Lots of us don't see the real "picture" in those moments.
We get completely blinded by the situation we're lost in - we get stressed about money, about how to cover our needs, expenses, bills, debts, mortgage etc.
If we don't change the picture quickly - we start to feel worthless, we lose our happiness, and our satisfaction...
We are all human after all...
Even if we study about the "self" importance, and learn how to sail or surf above the life's ocean and not to drown, sometimes we are drowning...
and is not easy for us to get to the surface.
We need strength, maybe help - which also costs, usually.
So, how do we deal with this? As I see, money and happiness are correlated.
No money - no happiness and no happiness - no money.
I will not say that money brings us happiness, I just say that money maintains happiness! I can say that one depends on the other! When money is available, we can do whatever we want or need: eat, shop, rest, read, write, create, study, travel, play, sleep, have joy, afford to sustain the family, develop in whatever direction we want, need or feel, do whatever makes us happy and satisfied.
My suggestion is: always take care to cover the variables - spirit, worth, happiness and money.
If you have enough "fuel" for each of these - you'll always be on the surface! Always be in balance: develop your spirit, supply your needs, be satisfied with yourself and make money.
The next step: share it with others! Help those who need help and this will help you also to maintain your happiness.
It's like a mother who gets fulfilled over and over again, when she gives to her child what he needs.
Take the first step; go after what you want.
Ask, research, step forward, push the buttons, and you'll see that life is easy if we just stop complicating it.