Living a happy life with or without money
The Chewa’s have a saying: ‘Mphini yobwereza imawala’ (repetition helps to get the point home). This is the third time am having to refer to Dr Randy Pausch’s book ‘The Last Lecture’. Believe me or not, it is one book you need to have on your book shelf. The man died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 when his book had just been published and became a best seller. Allow me to once again share excerpts from his book on how to achieve a better life. These are ordinary day-to-day way of life elements but easily forgotten. Yet when applied, they help you live a happy and fulfilling life regardless of how much money you have. Here is the guide to good life tips from Dr Randy Pausch’s book. Enjoy!
- Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey has been like
- Don’t have negative thoughts of things you cannot control.
- Envy is a waste of time. Concentrate on what you can achieve with your potentials
- Forget dwelling on issues of the past, it can deprive you of energy and hope—but never lose the lessons you can get from it
- No one is in charge of your happiness except you
- Realise that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime
- You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree sometimes
- What other people think of you is none of your business but make every effort to project a positive image
- Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will— so value them and stay in touch
- Strive to do the right things always—you will avoid so many problems and mistakes
- However good or bad a situation is, it will change—so be ready with the next steps
- Put God first in anything and everything that you think, say and do. You will always have happiness and hope for the future.
A blessed week-end to you and yours as you sit thinking hard on how you can apply this to your life and see how much money gets attracted to you in the process. n
