Comments on: Is Happiness Expensive and Over-Rated?

By: Foreigner's Finances

Foreigner's Finances — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:46:42 +0000

Festival of Frugality #210: Frugal Masters of the Decade…

Welcome to the 210th edition of the Festival of Frugality!
Today’s festival is bitter sweet. It’s not only the last FoF of 2009, but also the last of the decade! (What are we calling this decade anyway?)
To celebrate frugality in the ……

By: The Katana: Nobody Really Cares More About You Than You 11/23 | Financial Samurai

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:34:38 +0000

[...] * “Fight For Your Right To Be Miserable Once In A While” from Neal tells us it’s ok to be miserable, grieve, and reflect. Bad stuff happens to us all, and we just need to soak it in, before we march forward. Neal says he’s unplugged, so I wonder if he’ll see this. [...]

By: Bonefish Grill recipe: Salmon topped with Spinach, Bacon & Gorgonzola Bleu Cheese

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:06:01 +0000

[...] Is Happiness Expensive and Over-Rated?. [...]

By: Neal

Neal — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:41:46 +0000

Your secret is safe with me Sam. Now… pass the Kleenex…

By: Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:56:04 +0000

Neal – Thanks for sharing! I have to imagine that the older we men get, the more pressure we have from others to portray a solid state of leadership and poise.

It’s hard for manly men to cry. The only times I cry is during sports actually….. not when my team loses to a last second miracle 3 ball, but when I see inspirational stories of people who’ve overcome disability to play again. I feel better afterwards, it’s rejuvenating! Just don’t tell anybody.

You’re right. Writing is cathartic!

By: Neal@wealthpilgrim.com

Neal@wealthpilgrim.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:19:09 +0000

First, thanks everyone. I get the feeling that just by your comments, you are makng it “ok” for others to spend some time not being “ok” so I really appreciate it.

Rob #5 – I have to admit you make an excellent point and I can see how faith could work in the way you’ve described. My personal experience however is much different.

My relationship w/G-d was helped me, maybe for the first time in my life, to be much more present. It has also given me more strength to believe that things pass.

That’s been my experience anyway.

Justin, thanks for airing this out. You are a very bright young man (I happen to know this personally) and you’ll figure it out.

My experience is that writing about it and sharing is the first step in that process. Bravo!

By: Debra

Debra — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:47:45 +0000

Great post.
We would not have any great literature or poetry if everyone buried their feelings. It’s a shame that Americans think you should take pills if you’re not happy all the time.

By: Abigail

Abigail — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:18:30 +0000

I’ve struggled with depression for most of my life, so I’m acutely aware of how not-okay it is in this society to be… well… not okay.

At this point, I’ve gotten sick of most of the social edicts around happiness. It’s kind of freeing.

If I feel down, I don’t try to buy my way out of it. I just do something comforting, like curl up on the couch and watch TV or read. I accept that, that day, I probably won’t be very happy.

Of course, if the unhappiness is severe or goes on too long, then I have to examine it and figure out how to cope.

But if we could all just accept that there’s a difference between sad and not-happy… I think a lot of time, energy, sanity and money would be saved.

By: Rob Bennett

Rob Bennett — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:16:55 +0000

I think this is in part a God issue. If you believe in God, your focus is not on happiness in the here and now. So you don’t worry so much about acknowledging that you are not entirely happy in the here and now.

Paradoxically, being able to admit to yourself that you are not entirely happy often generates the insights you need to becomehappy. But not making happiness the goal, it becomes easier to achieve happiness. It is by giving up your life that you are able to find it.

Rob

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:38:39 +0000

This is often a struggle for me. Right now I Have a job that pays decently, I am practically in charge of my daily activities at work, my only boss is really the owner, and he has trust in what I do, All sounds great right? Well, I am a Marketing Manager, I do marketing for a company in an industry i really just don’t care to much about. My job relys greatly on a marketing budget, i don’t care how good you are, its hard to be competitive and market a retail store with little to no budget when competition is spending like there is no tomorrow.

I go home and say, I want a new job, but just think about how many people out there have no jobs…

So, I started to do something to fix the situation, A friend of mine came to me and asked him to help with his startup company, doing internet marketing. Its something I normally enjoy, and think it is a great opportunity. However, It has added a lot of stress to my life right now and only made things harder. Working full time, then coming home and working even more appears to simply be to much for me. Another large part of my dilemma is confidence and training. I went to college and have my degree in Marketing, I trained for 6 months with a marketing agency as an intern. I have now been doing marketing for Power Sports for about a year. All great experience, but i have never really been an apprentice, never been a marketing assistant, never really learned marketing and internet marketing on the job. Everything I do daily right now, is done because that is all I know, I dont have anyone for guidance, and at this early stage in my career, it is something I miss greatly. Do I need it? I dont know, would it be a nice cushion? Yes!

If this post is a bit off subject, it is at the least my way of helping deal with the troubling aspects of life, for me, right now.