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<\/td>\nYou know the only thing that is going up that people agree is \u2018very important to them\u2019? Money.<\/p>\n
Yikes. But in a way it\u2019s unsurprising.<\/p>\n
What makes a society more likely to focus on money? In my view, it\u2019s a mindset of scarcity, where you feel as if you don\u2019t have a certain amount of money, you can\u2019t afford a good life.<\/p>\n
Look, I get it. These things are real. I\u2019ve felt for years that the easiest, most straightforward way to improve people\u2019s lives at scale is to put money into their hands. And if someone asks you \u2018how was your year?\u2019, the first thing you might think about is your bank account or your kitchen table. Are you doing better financially? Probably been a good year. Are you struggling financially? Probably a tough one.<\/p>\n
That said, I\u2019ve always felt the bottom line was about more than that. I made a number of choices in my younger years that were financially unwise. I wanted to be a good person, whatever that meant, and do interesting, impactful work, whatever that meant. If you ask me what the best thing I could do for a person is, it would be to connect them with a role or a great opportunity that brings out the best in them and allows them to grow. That is the stuff of magic.<\/p>\n
Social media has substituted a different form of currency for a lot of people; if you\u2019re a teenager at home, what\u2019s the most valuable type of affirmation you can receive? Likes on a post or picture you\u2019ve put up by your peers. It makes you feel admired and important. And if you get enough of those likes, maybe you can convert them to money eventually, too. There\u2019s now an entire industry defined by this that has shaped the aspirations of millions.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m glad I came to social media as an adult who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s before everything went digital. I had a fully formed brain.<\/p>\n
Happiness scholar Arthur Brooks came on the podcast recently, and he talks a lot about the meaning of life and how to be happy. You know what\u2019s not on his menu? Financial advice. He talks about having something sacred in your life, and trying to follow the right goals. \u201cThe problem is that striving for happiness directly, in the abstract, is not possible. Instead you must choose proxy goals: metaphorical stars in the sky that you can see and judge to lead you to the greater well-being you desire.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how do you choose good goals? Arthur, very helpfully, has a few tips:<\/p>\n
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- Focus on people, not things. It turns out that there\u2019s a three-word shorthand for the science of happiness: happiness is love.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s about you and your inner direction, not about how others see you. Social comparison and happiness are negatively correlated.<\/li>\n
- Make a happy journey your goal, too. Arriving at a destination doesn\u2019t generally keep you joyous for long, so you need to enjoy the trip.A<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
To which he adds a fourth:<\/p>\n
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- Stay flexible and be ready to find another way. Things change. Feel free to change, too.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
This feels like much more satisfying, nuanced advice than \u201cpad your bank account,\u201d though that can, of course, be part of the goals that you set. Happiness is other people. In real life. Doing things that are meaningful to them. Let\u2019s do more of that in the New Year.<\/p>\n
Happy New Year!<\/p>\n
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- Stay flexible and be ready to find another way. Things change. Feel free to change, too.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n