Indeed...happiness is purely subjective...it depends on no one but ourselves...but as we pursue it, we come upon a human trait Aristotle called "virtue", another concept so very misunderstood by our materialistic climate...finding "happiness" in "things" is shallow and does not enhance our pursuit of virtue...RJ you have hit upon something most souls do not understand...thank you for sharing your observations!

Press On!

Arthur

Hi Ralph, I could not agree with you more about non-financial goals being more important than financial ones, and I think we should all set them.

I have had a pretty charmed life. I have been without money, but I have also been flush with money. I am at a point in my life where I have really good financial security.

When I arrived at a place where I could purchase whatever I wanted (within reason) is when I realized that chasing "stuff" was a fruitless effort. Once I had that fancy car, it satisfied me for a little while, but then it grew old and I lusted after some other worldly possession that I thought would finally achieve me happiness.

I finally came to realize, it was not stuff that is going to enrich my life. It is relationships. I'm now a part of a few benevolent organizations and work with them regularly. I have developed life long friendships within them, and the true joy in my life comes from spending time with my family and close friends.

Thanks for the blog. It was quite a good read. My hope is that others will come to this realization sooner, rather than later, and begin building the true wealth in their lives - relationships.