ForexSpirit

If you enjoyed reading the DrKW article mentioned in my Seven Deadly Sins post then you might also like to read a rather more light-hearted article by the same author entitled If It Makes You Happy.

This is a short treatise that summarizes research done by scientists on what makes people happy. It also gives an action list of ten simple things you can do to make your life more rewarding and happy.

There’s no real rocket science in any of the ten steps mentioned. It just takes effort and persistence to follow them continually.

1. Don’t equate happiness with money.

   It’s been said a million times already that money itself won’t bring you happiness. When you receive more money there can be a short period of time during which you are able to notice the difference and so derive some additional enjoyment. Unfortunately we adapt to new situations rather rapidly, and therefore, before too long we can hardly remember what it felt like to have less money. The extra money has become ‘normal’ and has no meaningful impact on your mental state.

   A parallel way to look at this is to imagine yourself driving a car at 30 mph. You have been driving at a steady 30 mph for a while. Let’s say you now accelerate the car up to 40 mph. During the change in speed from 30 mph to 40 mph it is easy to feel the acceleration on your body at work. You can feel the change in speed. Once you reach 40 mph you stop accelerating and stay at that speed for a long time.

   Are you able to notice any real difference between what it feels like to drive at 30 mph versus 40 mph? Most likely not.

   The only time you are able to feel any noticeable change is when you are accelerating. It is during the transition period that you are able to feel something tangibly different.

   The acceleration period is akin to when you receive more money, perhaps you get an increase in your salary. It’s not too long before everything seems to be just like it was before the salary hike.

2. Exercise regularly.

   This is something I’ve taken to heart this year. I am still following the PACE workout I started in April. I’m going to save any more details of my progress to date for a separate post in the near future.

3. Have sex.

   Something I think that most people enjoy doing, so probably not a lot of motivation needed here!

   After having had my first child in March it certainly seems to take more creativity and timing to be able to fit this back into regular day-to-day life.

4. Devote time and effort to close relationships.

   Stay in touch with family and friends.

   Trading can be a solitary pursuit. Make sure that you aren’t alienating your spouse in your pursuit for trading nirvana. Brett Steenbarger wrote a post recently on how to make sure that your trading doesn’t negatively impact your marriage. You’ve probably heard of the term golf widow. If you’re a trader, don’t let your wife become a trading widow.

5. Pause for reflection, meditate on the good things in life.

   Take ten or fifteen minutes out of every day to literally think of nothing. Clear your mind and open yourself up to infinite thoughts and infinite possibilities.

   Spending some time meditating can relax you and help gain you a more positive, energetic outlook on life.

6. Seek work that engages your skills, look to enjoy your job.

   I seem to regularly come across two different camps on the work issue. One side advocates that you should be passionate about your work; therefore you should probably work at a task that you really enjoy.

   The other camp sees work as just that: something you do to earn money so you can enjoy the time you are not working. This side sees a clear separation between work-time and your own time. Do your job to the best of your ability. Try to spend a limited amount of time at work so that you have enough free time to actually enjoy the money you’ve earned.

   Both arguments have their pros and cons and my stance is that you should go with whichever way seems to suit you best.

   At the very least you shouldn’t hate your job. Either work a job that you are passionate about, or do work that at least interests you.

   You are only ever going to have a limited amount of time to live so don’t spend it doing something that you loath.

7. Give your body the sleep it needs.

   Some people can get by on only five or six hours of sleep a night. Others need eight or nine. Listen to what your body is telling you about how much sleep you need. Everyone is different.

   The only real recommendation I can make here is that you should try and become an early riser. You might have to start going to bed a lot sooner, but there seem to be many benefits to getting up early in the morning rather than lying in late all the time.

8. Don’t pursue happiness for its own sake, enjoy the moment.

   It’s not the destination that is going to make you happy, it’s the journey. It’s the things we learn, the people we meet, the actions we take that form the every day parts of our lives. Enjoy the moment. Don’t obsess about the final destination.

   Take in the day’s sunset, your child’s smile, the lush greenery on a summer’s day or the stars at night.

9. Take control of your life, set yourself achievable goals.

   The goals don’t have to have definite deadlines with measurable results. I have found using objectives to be an equally valid way to progress in completing tasks and acquiring new skills.

   Using concrete goals can potentially be detrimental, so be careful if you use them.

10. Remember to follow rules 1-9.

    Try to make it a habit to follow these suggestions on a daily basis. Each of them requires continual effort, but if it makes you happier day after day won’t it be worth it?