Happiness is different for every person as it is based on how they were raised and the value that they place on things both material and immaterial.
For some, being happy means always having the spending power to buy whatever they fancy. For others, happiness is simply having shelter, clothing and a hot meal.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs begins with the acquisition of basic physiological needs of nourishment and security. It then moves on to psychological needs, which emphasises one’s self esteem and the need to have relationships and interactions with others. The peak of this hierarchy focuses on self-actualisation and achieving one’s full potential.
From this, we can have a picture of how needs and happiness will vary from person to person based on where they are on this hierarchy. But after fulfilling all the needs on this hierarchy aren’t we supposed to be completely happy?
Not necessarily.
We have all too often heard comments like “imagine that person has everything (materially) and they are still not happy.” The sad reality is that most of the world’s population measures happiness by material acquisition. And so their life’s objective is to work and make money to be able to have a “good life.” So much emphasis is placed on the material that we lose touch with the immaterial. We often forget about the basic things that can bring us peace of mind, like spending quality time with our loved ones, taking care of ourselves both mentally and physically, or simply basking in nature’s beauty.
There’s absolutely no harm in wanting to be successful and wanting to have the best things that money can buy but it is also important to have a healthy balance.
Take a pause from time to time to appreciate what you have achieved and how far you have come. Be grateful for your blessings and every time you think of how bad your life might be, think of people in other parts of the world who are struggling to fulfill their basic physiological needs of food and shelter. Stop working so hard and spend more time with your loved ones because material things will come and go but time lost with a beloved cannot be replaced. Spend more time on yourself focusing on self-care. Helping others in need will fill your heart with joy but will also let you value and appreciate what you have.
We spend so much time complaining about what we do not have instead of being grateful for what we do have. Money and material things are necessary but they are certainly not key to happiness. It is when we have reached a place where we have gratitude, contentment and selflessness that we can say that we have achieved true happiness.
Alicia Roopnaraine is a Psychologist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Psychiatric Department. You can send questions or comments to her at aliciaroopnaraine@gmail.com
