happy friday!

so, another month has gone by in Gretchen’s happiness project. i’m finding myself not able to keep up with the many ideas being presented. back in january and february it was easier to focus on a half-dozen ideas. now i’m lost in a sea of goals! i think i’ve gone to bed at 3am for the past month. {fail}… i have not been serious about play {fail}… i’m picking fights with husband constantly {fail}… obtaining happiness with effort is tough, not to be too hard on myself, i do believe that i’ve been doing some things right. i’ve managed to finish a few big projects this year {yay!}, and i continue to make new friends {yay!}, and i am quite loyal to being jane {woo*hoo!}!!!

for July, the chapter more or less focuses on the connection between money and happiness. without directly touching on it, Gretchen touches on the idea of the fulfillment curve – that everyone has some point that maximizes the enjoyment they get from their spending. spend too much and you’re not happy. spend too little and you’re not happy, either.
how do you find that balance? focus on just buying things you know will bring value into your life, but don’t chide yourself constantly for doing so. look at your true passions and focus on things that complement those passions and don’t spend as much on the rest?

if money is the root of all evil, why is it that we covet it {or what it can do for us} so much? we’d all like to believe, like Gretchen, that happiness can be void of money. this doesn’t always seem to be the case…sadly. however, nothing is impossible. As Gretchen suggested–you just need to figure out what type of person you are: your values, what you spend your money on, and if you care how much money you have in comparison to others.

i’ve chosen to take the: i would like to be financially stable {for opportunities, experiences, good {preventative} health care, etc} but i do not want to be defined by the amount of money i have. i do believe that material things provide a fair amount of joy {or contentment} in our lives, but as we have seen with the economy and just how life works, money can come and go in a blink of an eye. i’m going to focus on appreciating what i have. and spending less.

so friends, have you read the book? what are your thoughts on July’s topics???

*sela buying a little happiness in times square, nyc. {ha!}

My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time. – Steve Jobs

It’s hard to tell with these Internet startups if they’re really interested in building companies or if they’re just interested in the money. I can tell you, though: If they don’t really want to build a company, they won’t luck into it. That’s because it’s so hard that if you don’t have a passion, you’ll give up. – Steve Jobs

find your passions! spend wisely! and, happy friday! xo.

{photo by me.}