The Key to Happiness

I think I have found the key to happiness. In a departure from my traditional style, I will save you the wordy build up and get right down to it. The key to happiness lies in our ability to realize one simple fact. The fact is this...

Every minute we spend is an investment.

Unless today is the day of our death, we are all given the same 24 hours to invest with however we choose. When we invest poorly we feel like shit. When we invest well, we feel happy.  This is not to say, however, that poor investments should be avoided at all costs. After all, even the poorest investments can still pay the long term dividend of a lesson learned. But rest assured, before you realize what the lesson was, you'll probably feel like shit.

The secondary benefit of treating every minute like an investment is the meaning it creates in the most mundane, unglamorous aspects of our lives. 'Making lunch' for the kids, becomes an 'investment in their nutrition.' Lounging on the couch doing nothing is really an 'investment in rejuvenation.'  While I admit that these examples are borderline ridiculous, I believe there is great benefit in looking at all aspects of life in this way. If we actively take a look at how we invest our time, maybe our actions will become collectively more positive. For example, if you called spreading office gossip 'investing in a toxic workplace,'  would that make you want to do it less? I hope so.

In sticking with my theme of un-wordiness (not a word) I will spare the fancy wrap around conclusion and leave you instead with two questions:

1. Do you feel as good as you want to feel?
2. What are you investing in?

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