1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
As the bible said, among those three things in life, the greatest among those is love. So why Love is so important starting from the creation of the bible until now. Let’s dive in and find out.
A recent Gallup poll, quoted in The Atlantic, found that “well-being rises with income at all levels of income, across countries.” In other words, as the article’s title states, the poll proves that “Yes, Money Does Buy Happiness.”
Except that it doesn’t prove that at all. What the study actually discovered was a “strong correlation” between each nation’s real GDP per capita and the sense of “well-being” among those nation’s citizens.
Correlation isn’t causation. The data could just as easily be interpreted the other way around: that happiness creates wealth. What’s most likely, though, is that happiness and wealth are part of a cycle, each one creating more of the other.
And that’s the reason for this post. Assuming you want to create both wealth and happiness for yourself and those around you, you have two approaches: wait until you’re wealthy to be happy, or become more happy now and thereby create more wealth.
I maintain that, in today’s economy, it’s easier to start with the happiness, because unlike wealth (which takes time to accumulate), you can increase the amount of happiness in your life within minutes, simply by taking more notice of things that make you happy.
With that in mind, here are ten things that can make you happy immediately, regardless of where you are in the cycle of life.
1. Life
It’s easy to forget that the mere fact of conscious existence–that you are alive–is itself a miracle. As the old saying goes “every day above ground is a good day.”
2. Health
Rather than thinking of illness as something bad that happens to you, start thinking of health as something good that’s happening to you.
3. Purpose
There is nothing more conducive to long-term happiness than knowing that your actions are making the world a better place.
4. Friendship
Almost everyone has friends, although it’s easy to lose track of them in the rush of events. Take a few minutes–today–to reconnect with some of them.
5. Family
If you’ve got a good relationship with your family, rejoice! You’re experiencing one of the deepest sources of happiness on the planet.
6. Self-reliance
Feeling secure that you can count on yourself to accomplish what you set out to accomplish creates a quiet but potent happiness.
7. Community
Having the support of a wider group makes you more aware that you’re part of something greater than yourself.
8. Gratitude
Rather than focusing on what you don’t have or what’s out of reach, be thankful for the wonderful things already in your life.
9. Laughter
It is impossible to laugh and be miserable at the same time. Regular doses of laughter are more than medicine… it’s the flavor of life.
10. Love
Just like the bible has said in 1 Corinthians 13:13, Love can be the form of passions. What are you passionate about? Just Do it! If you have a lot of excuses, do it in your free time. Many people who choose careers that don’t make them happy will tell you that they would all do it differently if they had the chance. You only have one life, so don’t waste it working somewhere you hate just because of the money.
- You’re more passionate about the work you are doing
There is nothing worse than having to wake up every morning during the week to mindlessly go do work you don’t even care about. However, this is never really an issue when you are passionate about the work you do. If you are not forced to work somewhere because of monetary constraint, you truly enjoy what you do and you never really work a day in your life.
- You can relate more to the work and come up with better ideas
Being forced to do work is one of the most draining experiences. While there are times at every job where you may feel the work may be draining and dull, you have to realize that not every day is going to be an enjoyable one. There are highs and lows, but when you are passionate about the work you you look past the dull days. Your creative process is also different. You are more inclined to come up with creative ideas when you like what you do.
- Work doesn’t feel like it’s forced upon you
When you value money over your overall health and your passion, you will find yourself in an endless cycle of misery. Work no longer becomes a career or a journey, but more of a taxing nuisance on your mind and body that has to get done.
Every day that you go to work with this mindset you begin to hate your job more and more. While many people feel that they must work hard to retire and have money to enjoy themselves, what’s the point of enjoying yourself in your later years when you spent your life being miserable?
- No matter how much money you make, nothing will help you overcome the feeling of doing something you hate
Many accountants come into corporate America, put in reckless hours during the week and make a great paycheck on pay day. Many of them have all this money piled up, but they never really get to enjoy the fruits of their labor because their labor takes up most of their lives.
Many of them hate their jobs because they aren’t really passionate about what they do. Is there a worse feeling than doing something you hate? Eventually this hatred will cause stress and in the long run, it will have lasting effects on your health.
- You are more inclined to work later hours
When you work somewhere that you are passionate about, putting in later hours isn’t as much of a burden as it is when you don’t like what you are doing. To you, putting in the extra hours doesn’t hurt as much because you don’t feel like you are forced to do it, which makes the experience that much more enjoyable.
Every industry has a busy season and without a doubt there will come a time when you will need to put in the extra hours. Will it be easier for you to work longer on something you can relate to or something you can’t stand doing?
- You are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty
Certain obligations at your work will require you to go above and beyond the call of duty. In certain times during the busy seasons, you may be asked to do certain tasks that are not part of your everyday schedule. It is much easier for you to put in the extra work if it’s something you actually care about. Because you are passionate about your job, you will be willing to put in the extra effort to go beyond what is required of you.
- No obstacle will stop you from achieving success
When you really enjoy what you do, nothing will stop you from getting your work done. Because you are passionate about what you do, you feel unstoppable and nothing can obstruct you from achieving greatness. Your passion ignites your work, and like a rocket, it accelerates you past road blocks that may come about. Any obstacle that comes your way is accepted and fought off with a creative solution.
- Our working careers will consume most of our lives, so we might as well do something we enjoy
You will spend a majority of your life working and there is no other way around this fac,t unless you are born into a wealthy family or marry rich. For the rest of us who weren’t fortunate enough, we will be spending a good portion of our lives working in order to make ends meet.
There is no way around this, so we might as well accept the cards we are dealt. Many people go about this the wrong way because they feel like work is something they have to do rather then something they can enjoy. Once you realize that your career should be something you enjoy, then you will lead a more happy and fulfilling life.
- You will get more fulfillment when you finally make it.
There are few feelings better than achieving a level of success you set out for yourself. Nothing like crossing off your bucket list of goals you set out for yourself to achieve. When you finally reach the pinnacle, it is that much more enjoyable knowing you got there doing something you love. Remember work doesn’t have to be something that you hate doing, stay true to yourself and always do what makes you happy.