Daily Happiness Multiplier: Step by Step Systems for Using Happiness as a Foundation to Achieve What You Want in Life (Non-fiction) - Softcover

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Bimal Shah has thrived as an entrepreneur for the last seventeen years and has made a positive difference for thousands of families. He’s overcome some of life’s toughest adversities and shares his experiences to help others do the same. Bimal has received top honors and awards including the Small Business of the Year in Investment in Boca Raton, the Global Corporate Award in Life Insurance, the Top of the Table® Award from Million Dollar Round Table® for 6 years, and has appeared on WRPBiTV and 980 AM Radio.

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Introduction -The Human Struggle for Happiness

Happiness, nothing so enigmatic has been pursued for so long and with such passion by humans who have been willing to start revolutions and drive civilizations to their ruin for the sake of achieving it. Meanwhile philosophers, religious leaders, scientists, psychologists, and even politicians have spent centuries on defining what “it” is? And, to this day, there is no more clarity on the meaning of happiness. Aristotle, the great philosopher proclaimed it as the “ultimate purpose of human existence.” The pursuit of happiness still consumes the lives of every human being on the planet. After all, who doesn’t want to be happy? Yet, if the research is to be believed, it still seems to escape most of us.

The real question is, how do you, personally, define happiness; and, if you could define it, would you know how to purposely achieve it; then, would you even know happiness if you achieved it?

We all experience moments of happiness--the warmth of another human being, the joy of a puppy, the extra bonus in a paycheck, the birth of a child. In one sense, happiness is all around us; but so is the weather; and it can change from good to bad in an instant. The moments that bring us happiness can evaporate in an instant, replaced by periods of darkness that can bring despair. Can happiness even be controlled?

Aristotle, who actually introduced the “science of happiness,” concluded that, in order to achieve true happiness, we must depend on ourselves. He was convinced that genuine happiness required the realization of a number of conditions that shaped our physical and mental well-being; not limited to material things, but that involved the cultivation of virtue over our lifetimes. As the “ultimate purpose of human existence,” a true state-of-happiness is not a quest, but, rather an end which is desirable for the sake of itself, not for the sake of something or someone else.

Translated into today’s terms, happiness cannot be achieved through possessions or even cumulative moments of joy; rather, it is the culmination of a purposeful journey with complete self-fulfillment as the final destination. Perhaps, that is why happiness is so elusive for so many.

Happiness is too often measured by what we have or how we feel, here and now versus what we hope to achieve through a lifetime dedicated to purpose. The reality is that, too many people go through life without a purpose--knowing what it is that can bring them true happiness.

In the modern world, especially in this country, happiness is typically equated with the feeling of well-being at any given moment. But, if all it took was a cold beer on a hot summer day, or, for the hardcore among us, a shot of drug, to create a feeling of well-being, happiness could only be measured in terms of minutes or hours versus a lifetime. Aristotle believed that genuine happiness could only be measured after a lifetime of accomplishment.

Does that mean we can’t know happiness until late in life? Not necessarily. In life, as in any kind of journey, if you know your destination, and you know you’re on the right path to that destination, each step along the way brings an increment of fulfillment. As long as we are advancing towards the goals we want to achieve, we can enjoy happiness. Without a life destination--a defined purpose or vision of where you are headed--we are destined to take any path, with each step adding to the confusion and conflict of an uncertain future.

The complete difference in these two life approaches is that one exerts internal control over the extent of happiness to be realized along the way while the other must rely on external stimuli (a drug, an impulse purchase, a funny TV show) to bring fleeting moments of happiness. It’s the difference between being happy on purpose, with a purpose, versus waiting for happiness to find you or having to create it superficially.

The Extremely Complex Link between Happiness and Decision-Making

For many of us, our immediate futures – tomorrow, next week and maybe even next month--seem pretty clear. But, over the longer time horizon it becomes more difficult to correlate the choices we make now with the future consequences of those choices. It’s a disconnect that often leads to choosing instant gratification over a future reward largely because the abstract of time seems to allow it. There’s always more time to do the right thing, right? I want to hit the snooze button on my alarm once, twice, maybe even three times because it brings me the instant gratification of additional, blissful sleep. With 24 hours in the day, what difference will additional half hour of sleep make?

These seemingly insignificant decisions can accumulate throughout the day--choosing a piping hot pastry over a healthy breakfast; spending four dollars on a Starbucks drink, skipping an afternoon workout, watching three hours of TV right before bedtime --all bringing fleeting moments of well-being without noticeable consequences. However, when one such day turns into two days, or a week, or a month, the fine line between what are wrong choices and what have become uncontrollable habits gradually dissolves and the consequences are compounded.

To put this in a familiar, real life perspective, consider the compounding effect of impulse purchases. When we toss our budget aside to buy the next great gadget, the justification is found in the amount of time we have to make up for the purchase--“I’ll put aside additional savings next month.” But, how do we know we won’t be tempted next month by another shiny object? And, what if the next price tag requires several month’s worth of additional savings to make up the financial difference?

Impulse purchases, though seemingly inconsequential in the moment, are typically not isolated occurrences; they tend to occur in patterns dictated by habitual behavior. One hundred dollars spent this month on a gadget isn’t likely to bankrupt anyone; even a monthly habit of spending a few hundred dollars on goodies can be sustainable for most people earning a decent paycheck. But what is the future consequence of these short term decisions? Would you be shocked to learn that it could cost you tens of thousands of dollars when you need it the most – when you are no longer able or willing to earn a paycheck? That’s called, retirement, which is often forced upon us; and it may seem as if it’s far enough down the road that minor indiscretions couldn’t possibly have an adverse impact. Think again.

Consider the effect of just $100 not saved today for retirement. If, instead of buying a new gadget with a useful life measured in just months, you invest that $100 in a mutual fund that earns an average of 8 percent over the next 25 years--compounded annually--it would grow to nearly $700. Not a big deal you say? Well, to begin with, had you bought the gadget, it would be long gone by then; and you would have lost any opportunity to earn that $600.

Now, consider the extra $100 a week you spend on things you can’t account for--the daily lattes, restaurant and fast food meals, drinks with friends, brand-name clothes, silly, gas for trips to nowhere, etc. If, instead, you invested the $400 (about $13 a day) in some mutual funds that earns an average 8 percent per year--compounded annually--it would grow to $366,000.

Here’s the kicker: If you choose instant gratification over future rewards and wait, say, 10 years to start investing, you would have to invest nearly three times that amount, almost $1,100 a month in order to accumulate the same $366,000. Such is the cost of time wasted. So trying to use the amount of time you think you have as justification for waiting just increases your costs which can reduce your chances of success.

“But, I’ll be earning more money in ten years, so I can afford the increased cost of retirement.” If...