KEYS TO A HAPPY LIFE

"I'll be happy when I get married and have children."

"I'll be happy when I have my own home."

"I'll be happy when I land that job."

I'll be happy when . . ."

HAVE you felt like that?  And when you attained your goal or acquired the desired item, did you happiness last?  Or did it begin to fade?  To be sure, reaching a goal or obtaining something we have desired can make us happy, but that kind of happiness can be fleeting. Lasting happiness is not based solely on achievements or acquisitions. Rather, like good physical health, true happiness depends on variety of factors.

Each of us are unique. What makes you happy may not make someone else happy. Additionally, we change as we grow older. Yet, evidence suggests that some things are more consistently with happiness. For example, genuine happiness is linked to finding contentment, avoiding envy, cultivating love for others., and building mental and emotional resilience. Let us see why. 

1. FIND CONTENTMENT

"Money is a protection,"observed a wise student  of human nature. But he also wrote:  "A lover of silver will never be satisfied with silver, nor a lover of wealth with income. This too is futility."  (Ecclesiastes 5:10; 7:12)  His point?  While we may need money to survive, we should avoid greed, for it is insatiable, the writer King Solomon of ancient Israel, actually experimented  to see whether wealth and luxurious living fostered true happiness.  "I did not deny myself anything that I desired," he wrote.  "I did not withhold from my heart any sort of pleasure." -Ecclesiastes 1:13; 2:10. 

Having amassed great wealth, Solomon build grand houses, made beautiful parks and pools, and acquired many servants.  Whatever he wanted, he got.  What did he learn?  His experiment made him somewhat happy, but not for long. "I saw that everything was futile," he observed.  "There was nothing of real value." He even cam to hate life!  (Ecclesiastes 2:11, 17, 18)  Yes, Solomon learned that a life of self-indulgence ultimately leaves one feeling empty and unfulfilled.

Do modern studies agree with that  ancient wisdom?  An article published in the Journal of Happiness Studies observed that "after one's basic needs are satisfied, additional income does little to advance one's subjective well-being."  Indeed, findings show that increased material consumption, especially at the cost of moral and spiritual values, can erode happiness.  

Bible principle: "Let your way of life be free of money, while you are content with the present things. " -Hebrews 13:5


Next time: KEYS TO A HAPPY LIFE/2. AVOID ENVY

From the Awake! magazine