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A Different Kind of Gift
Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Were you out shopping this past week, trying to determine what gifts to get those you care about for the holidays? Traditionally, this is the time of the year when we spend more time shopping for gifts than any other time of the year. We’re looking for something perfect. Something that will make a lasting impression, and something that special person will enjoy. A recent study shows that traveling, or going to an event, makes us far happier than material wealth or gifts. Why? When it comes to gifts, research shows that the main impediment to happiness is adaptation. As soon as something we’ve bought becomes ordinary and unexciting, the level of life satisfaction we feel falls, and we’re forced to search around for the next “thing” that excites us. For most people, this process is repeated over and over again in search for that feeling that occurs with a new gift.
However, research carried out at Cornell University has found a way to break this damaging cycle. Psychology professor Thomas Gilovich has shown that we experience the same increase in happiness when we buy something we want, as when we go traveling or attend an event. But, and here’s the most important point: the amount of happiness we derive from our purchase falls over time, whereas the memories of our traveling experience continue to supply us with happiness hormones for much longer. Sometimes, our entire life! Going to various events, going on trips, learning new skills, even extreme sporting events are an ideal source of happiness for each and every one of us. A new device, or even a new car, will eventually become just another ordinary object we own, or will become old and outdated. Every new memory, on the other hand, becomes a real source of joy that stays with us for our whole lives.
This year, think about events, day trips, or something that you can give as a gift to create memories that last a life time. It might be a painting class with wine, which is fun and memorable. It could be a trip to a winery, a sporting event, a play, concert, or anything that the special person in your life would enjoy. Make the holiday season extra special with a gift that will create memories for a lifetime.
Something to Think About
More and more people are feeling the need to get away from gifts, and use the money to support a cause or do to something that will last for more than a brief moment of happiness. It might be feeding homeless children, donating to a food pantry this time of the year or asking a church if they have a family in need. A great example is the organization of Women for Women. For the price of a nice meal in a restaurant, you can change a woman’s life somewhere in the world. I remember the first time I received this gift. The person said, “When I was thinking of what you needed, nothing came to mind. When I thought of what you would enjoy, I knew that you would enjoy helping others.” I still support this group many years later. http://gifts.womenforwomen.org
Words of Wisdom
You take away all the other luxuries in life, and if you can make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness. - Brad Garrett
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block
“Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.” – Irving Wallace
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” -Norman Vincent Pealet
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