We are differen:t
If you believe in Buddhism then Buddhism principles will only work for you but they will never work for someone else. If you believe that having a big house, a big car, and a wonderful wife is not important then not having them might not make you sad but it might make other people very depressed.
We are different and we all have different sets of beliefs. Thats why not everything will work for all of us. You cant apply something that makes someone happy to yourself simply because you have a different belief system and if you tried to adopt his, you will only end up confused and feeling worse.
Some people keep ignoring their real needs and wants by fooling themselves for years and years. Those people hear about a new concept to them like Money is not everything and then live with it for the rest of their lives, but inside they feel very bad because their subconscious mind only wants the money and nothing else.
If you are among those who have been fooling themselves then know that true happiness and the cure for depression only lies in knowing exactly what you want so that you can fight for it, other than that you will be seriously fooling yourself.
Happiness Fades Away:
Most people claim that happiness rises instantly after making an achievement then drops again after getting used to this achievement. While part of this is true, still the other part is completely wrong. If for example you had no problem in life other than loneliness which resulted in making you depressed, will your happiness fade away a few weeks after becoming a sociable person with a lot of friends? Of course it wont, but instead your base level for happiness will rise up and your normal state after getting used to these new changes will be a much better mood than the one you used to have.
Each one of us has a normal happiness level or a set point, but contrary to common beliefs this set point can be changed and our normal happiness levels can be adjusted. After a small event that results in making you a bit happier, like watching a funny movie, your mood might return back to its usual set point, but after making a big life achievement, such as making friends after being lonely for years, your happiness set point will change!!
So small actions, little positive surprises, and good life events that arent that big will only make you happy for few hours or even days, but in the end your happiness levels will return back to the set point. On the other hand, big actions, strong positive surprises that can affect the rest of your life and achievement of goals that you have always been dreaming of will definitely change your happiness set point forever.
Many researchers claimed that after winning the lottery your mood will return back to its set point and your life will return to normal; however, those researchers took a generalized view of the situation by assuming that all people in the world have the same beliefs and problems. If someone who wasnt in big need of money won the lottery then his mood might return back to normal within a few weeks, but if someone who was living in poverty for 10 years won the lottery then his life will definitely be way different than his life before that day.
tO bE cOnTiNuEd.......
Check last episode of my psychological series here:
Part #1Positive thinking, money isnt everything and true happiness