Enjoy life. It’s a two-word sentence that seems impossible for most to accomplish. Face it; adulting is a downer. Bills keep coming in, and children need new clothes, and our job is just a job we try to maintain so we can pay our monthly tabs. When we search for good news, war and sickness fill the air. Sensational journalism is the name of the game, and our emotion is the target. 

Why on Earth would anyone want to play with our emotions? The simple answer is “for profit.” That card in our wallet isn’t going to swipe itself. Nope, we need to do that. And how do they get us to spend money? By letting us know that buying a new TV or whatever will make us feel better. It’s a fact that we feel better with new things in the house. But that happiness fades quickly, and we have the urge to spend more. Yep, emotional buying has its downside. Oh! Fun fact! Men are more susceptible to impulse buying than women. It is an easy subject to research, and not meant for ammunition. Everyone has a vice, so let’s not tarry on this. 

We indeed live in a capitalistic world, where everyone is jumping for the all mighty dollar. So, how do we find happiness without falling prey? We do it with discipline. Look, we all were greedy babies crying for food, attention, and comfort. As the years went by, we received less attention. Soon we were out on our own, and we were able to do whatever we wanted. Yup, gluttonous spending,  here we come! “Want” is a monstrous well we can never fill. It is why it takes discipline to pull the reigns back. We don’t need that 700 ft/lbs impact wrench with ergo kungfu grip. 

The fact is, we need money in the bank. Do I sound like your parents or grandparents yet?

 “You need to save more money. You can never save too much money. In fact, throw your whole check into the bank and pay your bills next month.” 

Don’t do that. However, we do need to have a safety net to catch us when unexpected bills come up. So, how do we get started? The easiest way is to open a new account and start an allotment. Do not touch this account. Now we define an emergency, a new dress because ours is outdated or because ours is showing wear and tear. Which do we need when saving money, a sports car, or an economy car? These may sound like easy choices, but when we are emotionally stressed, we want things that will bring the most attention and satisfaction at the moment. 

Don’t let emotions get in the way of happiness. I used money as an example, but there are a lot of other bumps in the road. When we control our emotions, we control our happiness. It has only taken me 16,790 days to figure that out. Once we find our joy, we need to know how to maintain it. But that’s for another blog.