Prioritize. Spend on the things and on the activities that make you the happiest.
Most people spend their lives sacrificing their own happiness either because of career pursuits or chasing riches. You fail to realize how important it is to value your own happiness and taking care of yourself.
As a result, you unconsciously stumble into a busy and fast paced lifestyle. And, there never seems to be enough time to do the important things you really want, like exercising, hanging out with friends, or attending a wealth seminar. Yet, with so much already on your plate, how can you fit it all in?
In Work Less, Live More (Nolo Press, 2007), Bob Clyatt argues that you can make time for fun stuff. The secret, he says, is prioritizing:
“Imagine you have an empty jar, a collection of a few large rocks, and several handfuls of gravel. Your task is to put all the large and small rocks into the jar. One approach would be to pile all the gravel first, but doing so would leave room for only one or two of the large rocks; you wouldn’t get everything to fit. Switch your approach and put the large rocks in first, and you’ll find that the gravel will all fit nicely around the empty space. If a bit of gravel doesn’t fit at the end, you’ve not lost much.
Let too many little things take priority, and there never seems to be time for the big things. Consider the Big Rocks to be really important things you want to accomplish in life, the things that define you. Get the big things in first, work on the right projects and priorities, and let the little stuff fit in around the edges. Let your Big Rocks be non-negotiable priorities in your weekly calendar—and learn to say “no” when other things begin to intrude. Then fit those other things in where you can.
So if exercising makes you happy, schedule your exercise—and then fit the rest of your life around them. Don’t ignore your obligations, but make the stuff you have to do fit around the stuff you want to do, not the other way around.”
What you buy matters too in making you happy. You are happier when you use your money to buy experiences rather than things and when you use your money to help others. So the next time you are feeling down, buy a trip to the spa or donate to a charity.
Thus, your happiness lies in things that you love to so. Therefore, it is important to find time to do all the activities that bring joy to your life. You must prioritize taking time out of your day to spend time on your favorite activities and hobbies that makes you feel refreshed and content.
Bottomline, each day is a new opportunity for you to choose to live a life filled with purpose and happiness. You must consciously and intentionally prioritize to be happy on a daily basis. Otherwise, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut for months or even years.
“Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your happiness and health first before you can be of use to anyone else.” ~Simon Sinek
References:
- https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/your-money-the/9780596809430/ch01.html
- https://www.beingguru.com/2019/04/prioritize-your-happiness/