Entry Level Living

The other day a friend told me she admires me because I never seem to stress. Sure, I have my worries, my doubts, my moments of sadness and anger but overall I am a pretty happy person. I get complimented/interrogated because of how cheerful and chill I am. “Why are you so happy?” Seriously. This is what people ask. The other night I took a step back and realized that I am happy because I have actively structured my life in a way that increases my happiness.

1. I don’t chase money.

This is probably the biggest source of my comfort. I manage my money well and definitely try to maintain a healthy bank account but after reading study after study that documents how after obtaining a certain amount of income, money really has no impact on your happiness (in fact sex matters more), I’m still perplexed by the number of people caught in this never ending race to get things that really don’t matter. Not to mention how I have lately gotten involved in environmental related issues and have come to realize how over consuming simply isn’t good for us or the environment. (And with growing amounts of debt and economic uncertainty people are beginning to realize that spending is, well, useless).

Because of this I am also free to pursue what I love. I don’t just look for a job with a huge paycheck: I look for adequate compensation in other ways such as generous leave time and flexible hours. I have had the privilege of exploring my hobbies (photography and blogging), of being well rested, of tapping into hidden interests (cooking) because my job is so flexible. I am infinitely happier than my peers who work 70 hour weeks with just enough alone time to get drunk and drown out the voices telling them that something is wrong.

I am also free to love people freely. I find that people who chase money tend to look down on those who don’t have any. I see this especially in romantic relationships. “How much money does he make?” Like I really care. He makes enough to have a roof over his head and enough to be safe in case of a rainy day. Good enough for me. It’s 2008. Financially, I take care of myself.

2. I cultivate friendships and have a large circle of people who love me.

I call my sisters weekly and my brothers every other week (they don’t like me all up in their business) and they call me. I’ve gotten closer to a friend at work. I have met plenty of men this past year who have become great friends. I actively cultivate these relationships by calling people regularly, inviting them over for lunch/dinner, watching movies together, and just sharing myself. So at the end of the day I feel like I have people who love me and hope these people know that I love them.

3. I am active in my community.

In other words, I live my life in a way that contributes to the well being of others. This way I feel as though I have a greater purpose in life. I also try to develop myself career wise and getting to know people with similar passions. I volunteer, I participate in various career and personal development programs, and try different places, activities, foods, etc. I am always out and about living life—being active.

4. I love myself.

Ever since I have stopped watching TV and decreased my consumption of fashion magazines my sense of self has had to come from other sources. For some people this doesn’t amount to much and may even seem like a cop out. Yet I had to remove things from my life that didn’t make me feel good. The media is one of them. I am amazed at what I can do and do not feel limited or incapable. I’ve been around people who unfortunately cannot make the same claims about themselves and it’s heart breaking. How do you go through life not loving yourself? How do other people treat you? How do you live? Because I have such high standards and high appreciation for myself I can love, be active, be critical—just BE in a way that is wonderful and refreshing.