Counterfeit Happiness

Recently I read this quote by Daniel Crosby, Ph.D. :

"You will likely not regret the money you didn’t make. Instead, you may regret the lost time spent pursuing a counterfeit notion of happiness."?

This quote came after referencing a palliative care nurse who compiled a list of the top 5 regrets some of her patients had near the end of life.?

I’m not going to steal Dr. Crosby’s thunder and I will let you check out his LinkedIn posts or his newest book to find the list, but these two sentences by him are what stuck with me most.?

Are we pursuing counterfeit happiness??

Honestly? I think probably so.

It’s become far too easy to compare ourselves to how our friends and neighbors are doing financially, and though we may never admit it, either be glad that we are “better off” or a little bit envious or maybe ashamed that we aren’t.?

Therefore, we pursue this “counterfeit notion of happiness” through financial means.

Now I know I said that we would cover debt vs. investing in this edition of Nickels and Sense, but with the time of year we are in, the inspiration of Dr. Crosby, and a powerful talk last night by Blake Brewer?? at our annual client appreciation event, with your permission, I’d like to punt that topic to another time.

Today, I want to talk about happiness.?

Can money buy happiness?

I think we all know that answer no matter how cliche it may seem.

No.

Can money buy solutions to problems?

Without a doubt.?

So how do we strike a balance between pursuing money for the sake of bettering our lives, and chasing after this ever-elusive “financial happiness”?

Honestly, I’m not really sure.?

What I’d be willing to say is that it requires forward striving and a rear-facing perspective.?

It’s very easy to focus on forward striving, but with Thanksgiving coming up I hope that you use that time to focus on the rear-facing perspective.

I hope that you’re able to be thankful for how much (or even maybe how little) the Lord has blessed you with.?

Remember the progress that you have made. Most of us started with very little, and chances are, you’re much better off now than when you started.?

While I strive for eternal joy over temporary happiness in my life, I do still want to be happy. Absolutely, I am continuously striving towards a “better” life for me and my family financially, but I know there is much more to happiness and especially joy than what money can offer.?

As I mentioned before, Blake Brewer was our guest speaker last night at our event, and who better to speak on something more important than leaving a financial legacy?

If you aren’t familiar with Blake’s story, I highly suggest you going to find it. Blake has made it his mission to help people write life-changing letters to their kids, spouses, grandkids, parents, etc. because he saw the amazing impact that a letter from his dad had on him.?

I'm not saying that writing one of these letters will guarantee you happiness, but I do know that as I continue to get older, the more I focus on things like these legacy letters, and the less I focus on each dollar, or nickel if you will, the more purpose and meaning I find in my life.

So with Thanksgiving coming in less than two weeks, I encourage you to evaluate whether or not you are pursuing counterfeit happiness.

Are you trying to earn just one more dollar, or are you looking to grow professionally because you find meaning in your work and in helping others through your job?

Are you trying to make more money, so that you can simply see a bigger number for your net worth, or are you saving up for an incredible, memorable vacation with your family??

Are you creating a legacy of counterfeit happiness in your family, or are you creating a positive legacy that will last for generations?

Most importantly, I hope that you are able to align your life to pursue a spiritual, eternal joy, like I’m pursuing daily, but I also hope that you are able to continue striving forward without grasping for this false happiness.?

Action items:

• Go look up Blake Brewer’s story. You can find it here.
• Consider writing one of these legacy letters to some of your loved ones.
• Stop pursuing counterfeit happiness.?

Short and sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Spencer Reed, CPFA?