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> First, eliminate your debt load. Need money? 1. Make money Now here's my guide to happiness in life: 1. Become happy. Voilà. Problem solved. Enjoy.

sp332 14y ago
FTA: Perennially caught between the dream of pursuing her true passions and the responsibility of generating a direct return on her education, she once again decides to grin and bear her current role. Apparently some people need to be reminded!
nostrademons 14y ago
The irony is that your guide to happiness in life is basically exactly how it works. If you want to be happy, the solution is...become happy, and there's no other trick to it. It doesn't work so well for money because there're at least some external constraints on wealth, but for happiness, it really is purely mental and your "guide" will work perfectly well for most people. Well, the ones who're willing to take enough of a leap to follow it.
- joallard 14y ago
  For happiness, I agree, although often a significant lack of money will hinder happiness and render unhappy.
cheald 14y ago
Almost everyone makes money. The trick isn't to make more, it's to spend less. Some of the best advice I was ever given was that if you want to be rich, live like you're poor. Most people, left unchecked, will live to the extent of their means, which is a tremendous contributor to debt, because a) when you want something above what you already tend to buy, you do it on credit, and b) credit is carefully constructed to take forever to pay off if you are only paying what you have to. So, the advice could better be stated "spend less, put what you don't spend towards eliminating your debt".
- delian66 14y ago
  >> credit is carefully constructed to take forever to pay off if you are only paying what you have to I do not understand ... Anybody care to elaborate ?
  - cheald 14y ago
    Credit repayment plans are designed to extract as much interest from you as possible before the debt is paid off. To escape debt, you generally have to apply additional payments to the principle above and beyond the minimum required.

sp332 14y ago

FTA: Perennially caught between the dream of pursuing her true passions and the responsibility of generating a direct return on her education, she once again decides to grin and bear her current role. Apparently some people need to be reminded!

nostrademons 14y ago

The irony is that your guide to happiness in life is basically exactly how it works. If you want to be happy, the solution is...become happy, and there's no other trick to it. It doesn't work so well for money because there're at least some external constraints on wealth, but for happiness, it really is purely mental and your "guide" will work perfectly well for most people. Well, the ones who're willing to take enough of a leap to follow it.

joallard 14y ago
For happiness, I agree, although often a significant lack of money will hinder happiness and render unhappy.

cheald 14y ago

Almost everyone makes money. The trick isn't to make more, it's to spend less. Some of the best advice I was ever given was that if you want to be rich, live like you're poor. Most people, left unchecked, will live to the extent of their means, which is a tremendous contributor to debt, because a) when you want something above what you already tend to buy, you do it on credit, and b) credit is carefully constructed to take forever to pay off if you are only paying what you have to. So, the advice could better be stated "spend less, put what you don't spend towards eliminating your debt".

delian66 14y ago
>> credit is carefully constructed to take forever to pay off if you are only paying what you have to I do not understand ... Anybody care to elaborate ?
- cheald 14y ago
  Credit repayment plans are designed to extract as much interest from you as possible before the debt is paid off. To escape debt, you generally have to apply additional payments to the principle above and beyond the minimum required.