The Pursuit of Happiness

It’s a right guaranteed in the American Constitution, but how do we actually do it?

Everyone today is a consumer in our capital-driven economy. We, as consumers, have learned to equate the pursuit of happiness with the acquisition of –stuff-. Like hamsters on a wheel, we must keep running, just to stay in our happy place. In our minds, the ‘stuff’ we already have is no longer enough. So, we endlessly pursue more ‘stuff’ attempting to maintain that illusion of happiness. The truth, of course, is that happiness is never found in external ‘things’. Happiness is a choice made from within, not a pursuit made from without.

Hedonic Treadmill

Psychologists recognize people have a happiness baseline or ‘set point’ we inevitably return to, no matter what happens in our lives. This means major events, whether positive or negative, can disrupt our harmony for a while, yet as we continue living, we’ll adjust back to a new ‘normal’. That becomes our happiness ‘set point’. As consumers, we are trained to do the same thing… No matter how fast or slow we run, as long as we keep doing the same thing, we always stay in essentially the same place.

Happiness is a Choice

Happiness cannot, in fact, be pursued… we either are, or are not, happy at any given time. Happiness is, in fact, our choice in any given moment. Unfortunately, happiness is often not presented this way. As consumers, we are taught to purchase more, and bigger, and better ‘stuff’ as a means to feel happy. As we accumulate more, bigger, and better things, we tell ourselves these things will make us happy. Does all that ‘stuff’ really make us ‘happy’? We often are happy, for a time… until the next thing comes along that we believe will make us even happier. So, we keep running on that wheel (not of our own making, btw). Even when we get tired of running around in the same circle over and over again, we often feel powerless to choose anything else… or even fail to see why we should do anything else.

Most of us never even think about how much ‘stuff’ we accumulate until near the end of our lives when we must downsize due to age or illness. Have you ever met anyone on their deathbed who wished they’d bought more ‘stuff’?

I recently helped an older relative ‘downsize’ their life after 50 years of accumulation. At such times (which may come sooner, or later, in life), we are forced to acknowledge just how important (or unimportant) all these individual things are. I’m not speaking of priceless family heirlooms, or items that hold deep meaning, I’m referring to all the other material things we’ve bought, or acquired, along the way. Even people who say they have nothing, are often surprised how much they actually possess. What’s the attraction?

The Cheese

The material goods we pursue over a lifetime are similar to cheese in a maze.

Like a rodent in the maze, we seek the cheese and keep exploring new paths to find it. But, after we consume it, we’re soon hungry again, and back out discovering new ways to find more. Do you go from job to job, task to task, always trading time, skills, and talents for money? An amount of money someone else decides you’ve earned?

What if the cheese could come to you?

What if, instead of always figuring out a new maze (constructed by someone else), you could cut out the middle man and create a continuous supply of your own cheese? Oh, you could still explore mazes, but just for fun, without the same sense of urgency. Would that be of interest?

A-MAZE-ing Cheese Delivery System

Is there a way for cheese to come to YOU, on a regular, consistent basis? YES. But first, you must create a ‘cheese delivery system’… i.e. your own maze. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as you may think!

The difference is your maze will be designed to HELP others find their own cheese. As they do, you will be rewarded in the form of ‘Royalties‘! In fact, the MORE cheese others find in your maze, the more cheese comes to YOU automatically!

Sound too good to be true?

Here’s a free resource, a Guide to starting an Online business, for you, and for you to share with others.

Let us help you create your own. We would love to chat with you!

Visit www.FreedomEffect.biz and download your Free ebook!