Category Archives: Happiness

Why You Need a Happy Goal!

A few years ago I remember thinking if I just got the bigger house or the fancy car or the bigger bank account I would be happy.  I got that and then one day it pretty much vanished almost overnight after a divorce.  I promised myself from that point forward I would only put all of my extra money into surfboards and guitars (which I did for awhile).  But then after 7 surfboards and 4 guitars, I realized that was kind of silly and that I basically would need storage for all the above.  Thankfully, my neighbor who is a good friend of mine now lets me store some of my surfboards in his storage house – ha ha.

You see, in business just like when you have a job you need to set goals.  Unfortunately, most goals are kind of mundane like – make more money, get a better job, or pay off debt.  These kind of goals are great, but they aren’t really happy goals.  Even though surfboards and guitars may seem silly to some, it’s actually not.  To me, I love to surf and play guitar (those things make me happy).

A few years ago I started reading up on happiness and minimalism.   And even though that didn’t force me to sell off all my surfboards and guitars I discovered something else that made people really happy, in fact, things really aren’t that important.  What they have discovered is what really makes people happy is experiences.  So a few years ago even though I had already done a ton of it already in my life, I started to travel frequently again. I would think about places to travel to and make a goal – a happy goal to take a vacation for a week or two and go and see new places and have new experiences.

“There are 3 things you need to be happy in life – someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.” Jimmy Buffett (American Musician 1946 – )

There is nothing quite like putting a vacation on your calendar for a week or two and scheduling it out for 2 or 6 months.  It does something to me when I work, as it gives me something to look forward to.  It’s a happy goal.  I find not only does my work become more manageable, but that I really enjoy those days leading up to that vacation.  In fact, I’m on vacation right now as I write this. I’m looking at the ocean and enjoying the tropical air from my hotel balcony.  it’s my 3rd vacation in the past 12 months. And when I vacation I don’t really do much business, I shut down and try to really enjoy the moments, because when it’s all said and done it’s not so much about the things you have, but the things you have done.  So my challenge to you if you aren’t already traveling and investing in experiences is to start doing it.  If you don’t vacation from time to time you are missing out in my opinion.  Plus, it’s a great way to recharge your batteries (your human batteries).

If money or your work schedule is keeping you from taking those much-needed vacations and traveling more, just know that happy goals will subconsciously force you to attract more money to make that much-needed vacation become a reality.  If traveling doesn’t interest you, at least find some things that you enjoy and start setting more happy goals around the things that you love.  It’s important to give yourself something to look forward to.