As we embark on careers to earn money, most of us don’t consider what really makes people happy or successful? Do things make people happy, or do experiences make people happy? According to science, experiences make people happier than possessions because experiences make us who we are.
Don’t worry, all the things you experience don’t have to cost a lot of money. Still, for those things that carry a higher price, you should start planning for them now by putting a little money aside so that on a future planned date, you can enjoy the experience without going into debt.
Experiences are important because:
Your Experiences Make You Who You Are – The compilation of experiences you have throughout your life makes you who you are in terms of your personalities and perception of the world. We all see things from the lens of our own life experiences, and the more experiences you can have, the more open your world view will become and the more well-rounded you will become.
You’ll Broaden Your Perspective – When you do more outside of your comfort zone, like travel to other countries, volunteer to help people in your community, take a class or do things that give you a point of view you may not have considered, before that experience.
You’ll Build Fabulous Memories – When you do more things and have more experiences, it gives you more memories to draw on to help you feel happy and satisfied. When you get together with family and friends, do you really show off your new expensive furniture, or do you show off your memories?
You Can Learn New Skills – When you buy experiences, you can learn new things to draw on in other aspects of your life. For example, hiking Mt. Everest is more than a fitness challenge. It’s also a challenge to push yourself out of your comfort zone and work with others in a team. All of which will help you in other aspects of your life.
Find Your Life Purpose – If you never leave your comfort zone, it may be hard ever to feel successful. Most people never travel away from their hometown, so they just don’t know what else is out there that might better define their purpose than what they’ve been exposed to so far.
When you live a life of purpose and new happenings, you’ll be happy to rise each day because of the joy you feel in the experiences you share with others. Even if the experience is going to the zoo instead of climbing Mt. Everest, you’ll still get more out of it than if you bought a new thingamacallit instead. You’ll have things to look forward to each day when you make it a habit to do things and have more experiences in your daily schedule.