I don't equate fun with happiness. It's more of a causal relationship. Look back at some of the "peak" moments of extreme happiness in your life and ask youself if they would have happened if you were a poverty stricken child starving in africa somewhere. When I think back to those moments in life where I just wanted to scream WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, because everything is so unbelievably awesome, they ALL required a certain level of material wealth, or they would NOT have happened. Simple as that. Although the happiness came from "within", it's tightly correlated to the external stimuluses which were "money enabled" at the moment. Ever feel the exhileration of taking a 20 foot jump off an incredible peak in the sierra mountains while skiing at Lake Tahoe, while perceiving the gorgeous view of the sparkling lake in the distance, and then LANDING your jump in front of all your friends??? Priceless, as the commercials would say. But is it? Who bought the ski gear? The SUV that got you up the mountain? The thousands you have spent learning to ski well enough to be able to do that? To experience that moment? How about the good times you get to spend with your closest friends skiing? Never would have happened without the money we all spent on the trip. Go talk to some hard core skiiers (or anyone who is extremely passionate about participating in thier sport.) It is there LIFE. It *IS* what makes them happy. They are miserable not getting 100 days skiing a year. What does this require? MONEY. Does the happiness come from within?? I guess it depends on exactly whay you mean. Very vague statement. I do an annual ski trip with all the great friends i've made around the country each year. We head to colorado and party and ski our asses off. I cherish those trips and yes, they do make me HAPPIER, and they cost MONEY. Tell me what your happiest moments in life were and then let's see if it didn't require a certain amount of money to accomplish it. peace axeman
I too left to trade in large part for the freedom it allowed me. For me it's the freedom to CHOOSE each and every day what I WANT to do that day. Some days I don't trade or trade just a part of the day. One morning a week I tutor at the local school. I also mentor a 11 year old kid. Those activities give one a lot of satisfaction, knowing you're helping others. When I worked a corporate job I didn't have the luxury of making such choices even with an incredibly flexible flex time schedule. Many people never get the opportunity to have such choices ... or else they get to make choices in their later years (i.e. after retirement). By then they're older and perhaps less healthy and maybe less able to be active and do things. A good book I read years ago was Cashing In On the American Dream: How To Retire at 35 .. by Paul TerHorst who was a CPA/financial type. In the book he mentioned how he wanted to do things (travel, etc.) while he was young, healthy and able to do so ... we never know what lies down the road as we get older. And last, I think leaving the rat race of my job has meant even better health as I have less stress. I don't think you can put a price tag on freedom.
I loved skiing too. So I chose to live in Aspen when I was younger, and gave up the opportunity to make money and not ski. I got to ski my 100 days a year, and other than that, and having a lot of good friends that were doing the same thing, I was "poor" as far as money in the bank (or more accurately, lack thereof). Sometimes you can do what makes you happy. Without money. skiing is expensive as a tourist. Living there, it was pretty cheap. The cost was high, but not in dollars. It was a lifestyle choice. And those choices are pretty much open to rich and poor alike (not always, but in a case like that, yes.....if my big love was flying a Gulfstream Jet, I don't think I could have pulled that off the same way. Or playing polo. Or collecting Rembrandts). Peace, RS
Holding my new born in my hands.....free Coming to this country ......................free..well not exactly free, it cost me something more dear than money..... peace....... p.s. I go camping every single year with my boys and I love those trips so I can relate, but my happiness is not brought by those trips it is already inside me...
This is totally off the subject, but did you know that Rembrandt was actually his first name and that he is one of the only famous artists that is known by his first name?
Come on ElCubano, your not being very honest here. Who paid the doctor?? How much?? Delivering a child is quite expensive, not to mention the 100G's your gonna spend on it in the next decade. I recently came back from a trip to Yosemite. Got about 200 high res digital pics. Hiking, horseback riding, etc... was awesome. And cost a bunch of money "but my happiness is not brought by those trips it is already inside me." Funny how it takes those trips to bring it out though, huh? If the happiness is truly already inside you, and that is all you need, then you would not have bothered taking the trip in the first place. Why did you take the trip? Hmmmmmmmm????? peace axeman
no those trips are fun..thats why i take them...i enjoy being in the middle of no where..... anyways if money will make you happier, I only wish you to make lots of it amigo....Yosimite was voted number 1 park in USA, try scaling el cap and tell me if your happy or not...hahahaha ...im going to yellow stone in june....peace
Hiking to the top of the upper falls was a lot more fun that trying to climb El Capitan ... can't be any fun dangling way above the ground floor at night trying to sleep ...
Thanks for the trivia Aphie. I was always misinformed. All these years I thought Rembrandt was his last name. I thought his first name was Steve. RS