While increasing your income will open up more opportunities to save money, pay down debt, and build the life you want; earning more money is not solely the only answer. Just Google what happens to the lotto winners and you will see that a financial windfall can be a curse if you are not prepared to handle it.
There are many aspects and philosophies that make a person wealthy and you have to learn to manage your life and expenses. Contrary to popular belief people do not have to live their entire life underneath a mountain of bills and debt. Our society teaches as a whole to live beyond our means, always have a car and house payment. Live off credit cards and just make the payments. More often than not, the more people make the more they spend and they increase their cost of living.
Fortune Cookie
…show more content…
One of the most fascinating things I have ever studied has been the happiness of people. Often times we naturally seek the things that will inherently decrease happiness and as we sink down this slippery slope we never realize we are there only because we chose to walk away from the steps that lead us out.
The alcoholic who blames everything but his drinking for has shattered life is but one extreme example. In many smaller ways people do the same. My mother might be one example from a financial aspect. (ssshhh she might not like being an example for this lol). She struggles from paycheck to paycheck because she places an extremely high value on stuff or gifts that more or less dump money down a hole. Treating the family out to eat or buying a movie at the store. Neither of which by themselves are bad but when done beyond one’s means and one on top of the other can lead to detrimental results over
Some people believe that if you work hard, get an education, and stay focused, you will be able to be successful and fulfill all your dreams. Others believe that only if you are born into a family of money will you be able to be wealthy. Both thoughts have some flaws in their description. For example, just because you always work hard and get an education does not mean some life event might happen that can cause some setbacks. Also, just because you are born into a wealthy family does not mean you are smart enough to keep the wealth.
But not in all cases. Consider for example, a famous boxer Evander Holyfield. He was believed to make over 200 million dollars in his boxing career. This is more than enough money to get you through life. Where is he now, well he has been evicted from his mansion in Atlanta and is by all purposes bankrupt. Why, well because he had no education. If he would have gone to college he could have had a job and not be in the situation he is in today. Sadly to say, he is not the only one in this situation. Players like Allen Iverson and Antoine Walker are in the same boat. This could have been prevented if they had just went to
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
How does one earn the title of wealthy? Authors Dr. Thomas J. Stanley and Dr. William D. Danko have studied how people become wealthy for over twenty years. They have conducted research, written books, conducted seminars, and advised major corporations on whom the wealthy are and what are the characteristics of the affluent in America. The research for The Millionaire Next Door was comprised of personal, as well as focus group interviews, with more than 500 millionaires. A survey of 1,115 high net worth and/ or high income respondents was also compiled. The authors define the threshold for being wealthy as having a net worth of $1 million or more. This is one distinction that the authors make in comparison to what most Americans might perceive is the definition of wealth. As opposed to what most Americans in our society believe, a measure of an individual’s material possessions does not necessarily equate to being wealthy. According to the authors, wealth is what you accumulate and not what you spend. Based on the author’s definition of wealth, only 3.5% of American households meet their criteria for status as a millionaire. Of this small percentage, 95% of millionaires have a net worth between $1 million and $10 million. The authors chose to focus on this segment of millionaires because this level of wealth can be attained in one generation and by many Americans.
The problem we have in today’s society is that people work to acquire as much money and possessions as they can and they think this will achieve happiness. Unfortunately, nobody told these people that happiness cannot be purchased and our possessions will fade no longer keep our interest. As we engulf ourselves in our daily busy work, our relationships are becoming strained and we are distancing ourselves from real happiness. We are seeking the means of work and money as an end, and we are chasing the wrong things in life. We hide from our unhappiness by watching television or partake in activities to distract ourselves from our problems. We need to find true happiness and this is found in becoming virtuous, creating good friendships,
“A Millionaire in Blue Jeans?” One of the most valuable principles is found in the very first chapter. Our authors do a wonderful job at dispelling any delusions we have regarding what a Millionaire looks like. I had long assumed, like many others, that the Millionaires of America were the hyperconsumers and elaborate spenders. In fact, we learn that just the opposite is true. I came to understand that, “Wealth is not the same as income”. (The Millionaire Next Door, p. 1, Stanley & Danko) In many cases, income is not at the forefront of relevancy when determining whether someone will become wealthy. There are several factors involved, but ultimately, if a person spends their entire income, the number value of said income simply doesn’t matter. The old age adage regarding spending less than you make is of much more importance. In the Church, this is referred to as ‘living below our means’. We have often been counseled to exercise restraint regarding our spending habits, and have also been commanded to obtain a level of financially secure by building up our savings, staying out of debt, and living within our means. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, (2006), 11423) It seems rather silly that a large percentage of our population would be under the assumption that living a large lifestyle, along with the accumulation of fancy things, would somehow equate to wealth. After reading the book, I have come to understand that many of us have an extremely distorted relationship with money, in the assumption that money is to get and spend, while those who are authentic accumulators of wealth understand that money should be invested and stored up as a measure of safety and peace.
Ashley Janowiak Human Happiness and External goods Happiness is a goal every human pursues, yet the ways in which it is pursued differs amongst people. Some believe prosperity will bring them happiness. Others believe material, power, fame, success, or love will bring them happiness. No matter what one believes is the right way to conquer this goal, every person will take their own unique path in an attempt to find it. But what is happiness like?
Wealth is a diverse topic amongst many people, it’s talked about widely and there is a lot of books, journals, and statistics - that I will use in my paper - but were written based on what other people have found to be true. These sources I have chosen to use talk about the factors, struggles, and lifestyle lived based on being wealthy or not.
A powerful influence over happiness is how people perceive situations and how they choose to engage with others. Life may change within an instant and have a spiraling spin of high and low points, but the positive state of mind and the value of social relationships determine the
Having money is like a game you are not rich or poor it is the way you think about your life. If you are happy it should not matter how much money One of the biggest differences in the two groups of people rich and poor is the types of jobs they are working. You do not see too many millionaires getting their hands dirty working in the field, construction, and doing the dirty jobs that no one wants. Reich even says in his essay the rich people are the ones who are the creators and the poor are the ones doing manual labor. “Most of the poverty in the United States is artificially manufactured.
When we are young children, we are introduced to the concept of "living happily ever after". This is a fairy-tale emotional state of absolute happiness, where nothing really happens, and nothing even seems to matter. It is a state of feeling good all the time. In fairy tales, this feeling is usually found in fulfilling marriages, royal castles, singing birds and laughing children. In real life, an even-keeled mood is more psychologically healthy than a mood in which you frequently achieve great heights of happiness. Furthermore, when you ask people what makes their lives worth living, they rarely mention their mood. They are more likely to talk about what they find meaningful, such as their work or relationships. Research suggests that if you focus too much on trying to feel good all the time, you’ll actually undermine your ability to ever feel good because no amount of feeling good will be satisfying to you. If feeling good all the time were the only requirement for happiness, then a person who uses cocaine every day would be extremely happy. In our endless struggle for more money, more love and more security, we have forgotten the most fundamental fact: happiness is not caused by possessions or social positions, and can in fact be experienced in any daily activity. We have made happiness a utopia: expensive, complicated, and unreachable.
Gilbert, Dan." The surprising science of happiness." Ted Talks. Ted. Ted Talks, Monterey. 1 Feb. 2004. Lecture.
Almost everybody hopes to be rich. Society believes that only the social status can define the kind of person you are. Majority of
It seems only natural that happiness should flow from having more money. Even if they don’t admit it, people still behave as though it were true. More money means you can have what you want and do what you want. The house you dream of? It’s yours.
Becoming wealthy is all about a mixture of hard work, making wise decisions, and investing your money and time into areas that will lead you the highest return of investment. There are very few businesses and ideas that will lead you to a million bucks or more within a short period of time. In this article, you'll learn the basics of being filled with wealth and how to bring money into your life. You'll discover different ideas to help you lead a life where money just flows into your life.