01/01/2025
Several years ago, one of my managers asked me what goals I had for the new year. He was probably asking what production targets I wanted to hit, but the response that came out of my mouth surprised both of us, "I want to be happy."
Not that I wasn't happy at the time, life was good, it was just this small realization that I didn't want to make goals for the sake of having resolutions, I wanted all my goals to align with my primary goal of being happy. I continue to have those same thoughts every time someone asks me about my goals or New Year's Resolutions.
One thing I've learned that helps me to be happier is when I align my financial decisions with my values. So here are three principles to bring in 2025 that I've learned for Happier Wealth.
1. Give Meaningfully - while I don't love the saying "give till it hurts" I do like the idea that it expresses. There is something about sacrifice that grounds me and connects me with others. Giving money to causes I believe in can help individuals or organizations better fulfill their purpose, and it helps me remember that money isn't the most important thing in my life. Giving of my time and energy can sometimes be even more of a sacrifice than giving of my money, but it helps remind me that I'm not the most important thing in the world, which in an interesting way makes me really happy.
2. Identify Personal Values - a coach once defined a personal value as something that I would continually pursue in the face of adversity. Prior to identifying my values, when I spent money on something that I didn't need, I often felt guilty, and I didn't know why, but I knew I didn't like that feeling. Consequently, I stopped spending money on things I didn't need, becoming an unnecessarily cheap tightwad. While frugality is still part of my nature, I enjoy spending money when I intentionally spend on those things which align with my values.
3. Be a Good Steward - I've never loved the word budget, but I do feel it is important to know where my money is going. There is an incredible amount of money, time, and energy in this world spent on analytics. Why? Because understanding data can help make informed decisions. The range of analysis has varied in my life, sometimes knowing specifically where every penny is going each week to having a general understanding of broad categories such as giving, saving, needs, and wants. In either end of that spectrum, I find that when I know the data I feel happier than when I wonder if I'm saving enough or spending too much.
I’m curious, what principles you’ve learned for Happier Wealth in your life?
