What Makes People Happier Than Money?
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Written by Jimmie Burroughs 
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According to a recent study conducted by Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, what makes people happier than money is producing something that brings them recognition from their peers. In other words what your friends and associates think about you is more important, as far as happiness, than making a lot of money.
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Professor Cameron Anderson created the study based on Haas School MBA grads 9 months after graduation. The source of their well being wasn’t on the money they were earning, but on how their peers viewed them. Thus the sense of belonging and being involved on the local scene plays the larger part in personal contentment than anything else.
“The joy that comes with an influx of money wanes quickly as people become accustomed to how wealth shapes their daily lives,” concludes the study. “A good reputation–and not a big salary–may be where the real happiness link lies for entrepreneurs.”
As I read the above story it once again occurred to me the value of personal development and why so many people today are interested in it. Developing a good reputation among peers is of the utmost of importance in the minds of most people, and it can be a result of personal development more than anything else, even making a lot of money.
The fact of the matter is that personal development also enables many to earn much more money over their lifetime than would ordinarily be possible.
Some of my associates would wonder why I spend so much time teaching personal development to anyone who wants to learn. They believe that personal development is only from God. While I agree that God is by far the best source for personal development, I also believe that anyone can become a better citizen, better neighbor, better husband, better wife, better parent, or just simply a better person through personal development. Obviously we all had rather have a person living next door, or do business with a person that we trust and can be friends with than a liar, cheat and crook.
I’ve written near 250 articles for this website mostly on personal development. I’ve tried to determine the most essential virtues of personal development that I’ve written about in the past two years, and I’ve determined that the following seven are:
1. A relationship with God
2. A genuine concern for others
3. The ability to communicate well
4. Kindness with a smile
5. Politeness in all maters
6. Honesty in every issue
7. Humility at all times
A relationship with God
I mentioned a relationship with God first because I believe it is first when it comes to the highest form of personal development. I want to be clear that having a relationship with God is only the beginning. In the Bible the word uses for personal development is “sanctification” which means being set apart; being set apart from our old ways, addictions and habits and being conformed to a new and better way of living. Therefore, the seven virtues mentioned above are the same ones along with many others that God would be developing in a believer but with much more effectiveness because they are driven by God’s power from within the believer, and not by self power and determination. If you are really serious about becoming all that you can become, consider a relationship with God.
For those who are concerned about all the hypocrites in the church, let me assure you that they are not only in the church if we are talking about people who are not what they pretend to be. They are at your work place, at school, and sometimes at home, and yes at church also, and everywhere else.
Honestly, I’ve known church people who were evil, mean and despicable that I would not want living next door, and certainly would not want to be friends with or even associate with. But also some of the best people in the world are church people. You shouldn’t stereotype any group of people by the worst of the group. I’ve known war heroes, professional people as well as just good average people who are part of the church and are dedicated to God.
A genuine concern for others
A genuine concern for others is one of the natural occurrences of having a relationship with God. The Bible is clear on this: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”, I John 3:14-16.
Do all church people love this way? No! Certainly not, but all true believers do. Nevertheless, you don’t have to be a believer to have a genuine concern for others. It is one of those virtues that can be nurtured through personal development.
The ability to communicate well
Learning to communicate well opens doors like nothing else ever will. One of the skills I’ve noticed in almost every successful person is their ability to communicate well, whether it is a movie star, singer, writer or a business person etc. This is a skill you must develop if success is your goal. Not only is it a great benefit for success in the business world, but it also is valuable for any type of relationship, or even being admired and respected by your peers. For more information on developing your communication skill read my article on “Improving your conversation”.
Kindness with a smile
It seems that a friendly smile always accompanies kindness. That is why I combined them for this topic. Sometimes just a friendly smile can be worth more than a thousand words. I’m an older guy, so to receive a warm friendly smile, especially from a young woman, can make my day; no kidding. It is that important to me. I don’t think I’m different from most in that respect. It can be so beneficial for a sales person or anyone who wants to make the right impression. But kindness itself so characterizes the kind of person we are. Kindness also hides a lot of other faults.
Politeness in all maters
Being polite is just as easy as being rude. It just shows so much more class to be polite. If it is your nature to be rude, you are hurting others, but you are hurting yourself far more. You are shutting doors to relationships as well as to success.
Honesty in every issue
Dishonesty does more harm to the way others see you than just about anything else. People may tolerate you, but they will not like you or trust you. Once you have lost the trust of others it is near impossible to ever get their trust back. This is so true for marriages where there has been a breach in trust. The problem may be resolved, and the couple may stay together, but the former trust in the marriage will probably never return.
Humility at all times
No one appreciates an arrogant, haughty person who thinks they are the hottest and greatest of all. On the other hand a person who makes all attempts to keep from placing themselves above someone else, and always presents a humble disposition will attract more love and respect than a thousand who try to be the king.
For more information on these seven virtues, search the site map on the navigational bar above for related topics.
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website, Website Contents , in your person growth. Be sure to take vantage of the FREE offer to get the “Personal Development” eBook while available.
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