We’ve all been told since we were small children that money can’t buy happiness. And many of us rely on this maxim throughout our lives, but perhaps not in the way we should.

Too often, we use this as a reminder. We buy, for instance, new furniture. We love our new furniture, but after a while we’re no longer in love with it, and wish we hadn’t bought it because, “After all, money can’t buy happiness.”

To really understand whether money can buy happiness, it’s necessary to define what we mean by “happiness.” In this sense, what most people mean by happiness is lasting fulfillment and joy in life.

It is true that money cannot buy happiness by that definition. Money can buy moments of joy, and money can buy pleasure, but you’re going to have to invest time and work into lasting fulfillment.

Tears of sadness streamed down my face as I did what I knew I had to do. LET GO! Why was I crying? Because in my heart, I knew I had to write the goodbye letter, but my head really didn’t want to! Why does letting go cause us so much pain? Is there an easier way to release objects, relationships, and situations? You bet there is, but it’s something you’ll have to LEARN to do.

Why do you have to LEARN how to let go?
Letting go is one of the most unnatural things you’ll ever do. We all tend to hang onto stuff, people and situations. It starts early in life with a blanket, a pacifier, or a favorite stuffed animal. These things are replaced over time by “stuff” we collect that helps us feel accomplished or safe. Other pacifiers include food and anything that gives us perceived pleasure. Because we are programmed with these tendencies, “letting go” is a skill that must be learned.

While in college in New Orleans, I lived with my best friend, Mike Burnett, in a basement apartment. One night before drifting off to sleep, I heard the rain outside coming down in sheets. I felt very happy to be in a dry and comfortable bed.

My next conscious thoughts were of my bed shaking. Upon opening my eyes, I saw Mike standing at the foot of my bed and heard his voice, “Bill, wake up, wake up!”

“Okay — what’s going on?” I groggily replied. Mike then said the most confusing thing to me, “Can I get on the bed with you?” I was fully awake now.

I knew Mike like my brother, so I knew he wasn’t suddenly attracted to me in a way I was unaware of before now. Even so, I had to dig deeper. “Why?” I asked. He said, “Why? Put your hand over the side of the bed!”

There has been a myth floating around for a number of years that’s says, “if you act enthusiastic you will be come enthusiastic”. Yes and no.

If you tend to be enthusiastic when things age going well let me ask you – do you act just as enthusiastic when you are going down in flames and life is filled with problem after problem?

Optimism, enthusiasm, being positive and hopeful are not acts, they are either a part of your belief system, who you are, or they are not. Can you smile in the midst of trauma, problems, adversity and failure? Can you laugh at life’s tribulations and challenges? Do you bring the same passion to life and it’s activities when life throws you nothing but curves, disappointment and frustration as when everything is working and “life is good”?

How to be in harmony with the The Universal Laws? … How to understand them and use them to our advantage?

You might have heard of the universal laws all along, but you have never really understood their importance nor power. These laws are the very factors that can give you fame, financial freedom, and supreme happiness in life, if used appropriately!

Your can be rich, well loved, famous, and very satisfied in life! With the power of universal laws lying in your hands, you have the ability to alter your mindset and mold your thoughts and emotions to bring you the very thing you desire!

All people, regardless of their race, age, gender, or nationality instinctively follow the universal laws, whether or not they knew these laws existed at all. These laws have brought forth prosperity, contentment, happiness, and freedom to those who knew how to apply them properly. These laws are the unlisted, unstated, and underestimated laws that govern humankind.

I love listening to spiritual programs on TV. I was listening to a spiritual leader and he was talking about visualization. One thing he was specific about was that if you can see it in your mind, then it can manifest in your life.

The trouble most people have is they clearly cannot visualize in their mind. It is not just about visualization, it is also very important to have that feeling of joy, happiness at the same time visualizing what you want. Can you see a clear picture of exactly what you want in your mind that you want to attain? Can you see it; can you touch it; can you smell it; can you hear it, can you feel it. If not, you will have a hard time manifesting what you desire.
First thing you want to do is sit quietly and meditate in a room with no distractions. Sit up straight and don’t slouch. Close your eyes and let your mind wander. If possible try to think of positive events, people, and places for about 15-20 minutes. The purpose of this exercise is to control the physical body. If you want to control your mind, you must succeed in controlling the movement of your body.

So many of us wander through life thinking we have everything together. I have a fool proof way to see if you really do have it together. You will be able to tell with one question.

Are you successful with money?

I don’t mean are you wealthy beyond belief. I’m talking about are you drowning in debt? (You may be and not even know it.) A good way to tell if you are in over your head is to list all your debts in a column and then all your assets and/or things that actually go up in value (like a house or an investment) in another column.

Now compare. Which column has the largest number after adding it all up? If we do this we may find that we are not as “together” as we appear to be? So the question again, “Are you having success with money?”

Just as setting small and attainable goals are the building blocks for achieving success; living a lifestyle of making good health choices leads to greater and more sustainable happiness.

The cliché “You are what you eat” does resonate with pieces of truth and common sense. There have been several health and fitness studies over the years that suggest people who are overweight, smoke and drink excessively have a predisposition to experience more bouts of depression than people who live a more moderate lifestyle in these areas.

So, you have heard all of this before, right? The last thing you need right now is someone else lecturing you about what you are doing wrong and calling attention to the fact you may need to loose a few pounds.

Here’s the thing though, beginning right now, today, you can ignore the lectures and the comments you hear others mutter and whisper. Because today you are in control of your health, and your happiness, by empowering yourself with knowing, and believing, in the following statement:

“If I could only figure this out, I think I could find
happiness.” That was the comment a close friend made during
a recent conversation. This is not the first time, nor will
it be the last that I hear this statement.

Many people believe that finding happiness is based on
finding something else they want. In my experience as a
personal coach, no one has ever found long term happiness
by achieving another goal. Ultimately, to find happiness is
to look within.

In other words, happiness is an inside job. The key to
finding happiness is to understand that happiness is a
choice and not the result. If happiness can be found as the
result of an acquisition, meeting a goal, or having
anything, then a person’s happiness will always be subject
to something else.

If someone were to ask me what I thought the single most important factor was to gain happiness, I would have to say that it was purpose or vision.

You can have a lot of money, be popular, have decent relationships, possess power, have friends, even have a walk with God and find yourself unhappy. The reason for that, is that none of these things have full value until you have purpose behind them.

Having a spiritual walk with God brings protection and peace, but without reason or purpose it’ll grow old and stagnate. You could marry the kindest, gentlest man in the whole world, but if your marriage has no purpose and reason, then it will grow old, and you may find yourself thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the hill.