People Who Choose Time Over Money Are Happier

I love keeping up with research in the areas of happiness and personal values. Most of the studies which I read on the topic have boring titles with words like ‘Meta-analysis’ or ‘Co-variable.’

That’s what my eyes lit up when I saw this one: People Who Choose Time Over Money Are Happier.

Blunt. Direct. And right to the point.

I love it.

A lot of people can skim findings like these and immediately file them under ‘I know it’s probably true, but my everyday life says otherwise.’

I get it.

All the time and relationship support in the world won’t pay the mortgage.

However, we do have to stop and ask ourselves sometimes, ‘What kind of power does paying the mortgage (or maxing out our RRSP…or buying that new toy) have over our life?’

What kind of impact does our posture toward money have on our values, our everyday happiness, and our joy?

Is our financial stability the be-all to end-all of our lives?

A lot of us have been taught that financial security should be our #1 value in life. This has usually been downloaded to us by well-meaning, hard-working parents who loved us and wanted us to avoid the stress that they had to face.

What an amazing gift.

However, sometimes that message of fiscal responsibility has blinded us to the ‘Why?’ questions which lurk behind it.

Why save? Why live within your means? Why be secure?

Answer: So you can be happy.

Let’s not miss the forest because of the trees on this one. Let’s recalibrate, refocus, and begin the hard work of rewiring our everyday lives to truly align with our values.