Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
Emotional Wealth Trumps Financial Wealth By Rick Nauert PhD
A presentation at the annual American Psychological Association conference provides advice that may help people center on what is really important to get through the tough times.
Experts suggest a focus on psychological wealth rather than financial wealth should be emphasized; that is, more money makes people feel better about their lives, but it won’t necessarily improve their quality of life.
Ed Diener, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Robert Biswas-Diener, PhD, of the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology in Milwaukee, presented their findings at the 117th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
“People should avoid the trap of over-emphasizing financial matters and consider a complete portfolio of resources. This will help them cope when hard times are imminent,” said Diener.
Diener also referred to a recent poll conducted by the Gallup Organization that surveyed more than 136,000 people in 132 countries from 2005 to 2006. The poll looked at several economic factors, such as income and the wealth of the respondents’ countries, in connection with each person’s psychological needs, such as respect, happiness, personal life evaluation and support from family and friends.
The average person in the survey was relatively happy and satisfied with his or her life. But a larger income was more directly related to a stronger sense of happiness than with any other factor. Overall, people who said they had a great life reported higher income, but that larger salary did not mean they felt happier on a day-to-day basis.
Diener said this may surprise some people who have long heard that money can’t buy happiness.
“Money is an object that many or most people highly desire and pursue during most of their waking hours,” said Diener. “It would be surprising if making more money had no influence whatsoever when people are asked to evaluate their lives.”
But the survey also showed that a larger income didn’t necessarily contribute to a person’s day-to-day feelings of happiness, stronger social relationships or feeling of respect. “Essentially, we have two forms of prosperity: economic and psychological,” said Diener.
“I don’t know if one is better than the other. But what we’ve found is that while money may be able to make people lead more comfortable lives, it won’t necessarily contribute to life’s pleasant moments that come from engaging with people and activities rather than from material goods and luxuries.”
Talking about the recent financial downturn, Biswas-Diener said it’s this kind of “psychological wealth” that can help people get through the worst. Some scientifically proven coping methods include learning a new skill, meeting new people, using humor and prayer, and having supportive friends.
“Adaptation to both good and bad events is part of our psychological wealth because it helps us to move forward in life,” said Biswas-Diener.
Source: American Psychological Association
Reprogramming Your Subconscious Mind Tip Sheet
Your Subconscious Mind
Tip Sheet
✴ First and foremost, believe in yourself.
✴ Understand what is holding you back so you can overcome it.
✴ Spend time in quiet self-reflection, prayer, or meditation at least once a day.
✴ Guard everything that enters and leaves your mind.
✴ Know what you want in very specific terms.
✴ Remove all sources of negativity from your life.
✴ Surround yourself with success-minded people.
✴ Create a realistic plan to attain your deepest desires.
✴ Take positive steps each day toward what you want to attract.
✴ Focus on the present – as if you’ve already attracted the things you want.
✴ Create visual reminders of your goals.
✴ Make a recording of your favorite affirmations or buy a self-hypnosis CD.
✴ Avoid conflicting messages by matching your feelings with your desires.
✴ Write a newspaper report about your success as if it has already happened.
✴ Be an advocate for yourself.
✴ Have an attitude of gratitude.
✴ Choose to carry a positive attitude at all times.
Retrain Your Brain