Get a Bang Out of Life with Less

An article from National Center for Political Analysis states that 64% of Americans worry at times whether they will be able to pay for family expenses. Since 2007, Americans lost $5.5 trillion in net worth, mostly from real estate.

If we have jobs, we can be thankful, but surveys show a high percentage of workers would change jobs if the economy were better. Those without jobs or are under employed make up at least 18% of the population by statistics, but my bet is that it is much higher

This creates a new reality for Americans that we are not only coming to recognize, but dealing with on a daily basis. Other than the top few percent, most people have started cutting back.

But there is a light shining through this window. Most people will stop seeking happiness from acquisition and upsizing their possessions. More people will start spending more time with themselves, their families and friends. More people will stay closer to home when they have free time.

This is a great time to build a better relationship with nature. Most activities in the outdoors is free. This is a better time to start creating some discipline in our eating and fitness habits. This is a great time to find satisfaction in expressing ourselves in more ways with training, writing, cooking, hobbies, charity, and learning.

The further we get from buying our happiness and the closer we get to personally building our happiness, the more long term satisfaction we will get from each day. I started my downsizing trend in 2005 by selling my house at a time I felt the real estate market had peaked. I was in the real estate business and could feel the upward push coming to an end.

Since, I have steadily pruned my spending to stay within my income. I save a little each month. I engage in more activities that build fitness and cost very little. I spend more time expressing myself in writing, surfing, cooking, and eating healthy.

My goal is not as great to buy things and more inclined toward furthering my human potential. I want my body, mind, and spirit to be stronger to deal with today’s situations and those that may still await us.

I find I am much happier bringing my interests back to my own growth. I have lost 45 pounds over the last five years, now surf an hour and a half a day, write most mornings, and eat very healthy. Life can be simpler. If you are working, you can squeeze important activities in before and after work.

Rather than worrying all the time about one aspect of our lives, we can fill in our free time with positive behavior that will give us more strength to face our trials. At the end of our days, we don’t want to recall all the time we spent struggling. We want to think about the progress we made in developing our passions.

Passions are what make life worthwhile. Passions can be people, hobbies, sports, or even sunsets. Passions can be developed so that we have competence in our activities. Engaging in activities in which we have competence creates flow or being in the zone. These states generate dopamine which neurologists say is our happiness chemical.

So put the crowbar between survival and happiness. Balance out your thoughts between getting into the savings mode and creating fun activities. Find a reason to smile at the end of every day and at the beginning of every morning.