Happiness… Is that what Life’s about?

By Chris Castles

Have you ever heard of the saying that you can look at life as if the glass were half full or half empty…Your choice? Many of us probably have.

It’s a simple saying but one that captures how different people perceive what’s happening around them. So why do some people look at things as if the ‘glass is half empty’ while others see it as if the ‘glass is half full’. You might be surprised to find that the way you look at things has a lot to do with the way you feel at the time.

So what’s this got to do with financial planning?

In the book ‘The Wisest One in the Room’, authored by Gilovitch and Ross, they work through some of the most important discoveries in social psychology and apply it to everyday life. They’ve found that increasing human happiness is a function of what we spend on experiences, rather than possessions, how we savour our experiences, rather than compare our possessions to someone else, and how we give to others, rather than giving in to indulging ourselves.

Financial planning is all about planning for the life you want to live, not worrying about how much money you have or what rate of return it gets. Financial planning is all about putting a plan in place to achieve what’s important to you, not just buying random investments. So, financial planning is all about finding out what’s important to you and what makes you happy. That’s where it starts.

Want help finding out what’s really important to you and what makes you happy, and then putting a plan in place to get you there? Call us on 1800 283 895.