finding your own magical path through life

A guest post by Sukie:

Which would you rather do:  have an adventure or buy yourself something?  

How happy are you long term afterward?

A new study  has been released which indicates that people get more lasting reward from purchased experiences than from purchased items.

Purchased experiences provide memory capital," Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University in San Francisco, Calif., was quoted as saying. "We don’t tend to get bored of happy memories like we do with a material object.

It is even possible to have some of those experiences for free and while helping others by providing free labor. 

Tips:

1. Donate some time in a field that you don't use for your everyday job.  When you get to learn something new that is even more of a win.

2. Volunteer at places like museums, libraries, schools, volunteer public services, etc.  They need the help, you will meet wonderful people, and you'll come away feeling good about yourself while helping others.

3. Join groups that do things which interest you such as acting or doing make-up for amateur theater groups, reading for the blind or for children, helping at animal shelters, building homes for the poor, and so on.

4.  Plant a garden for yourself or for a community shelter.  Helping something grow is very rewarding.

5. Break routine. That is important.  An experience is even more of a mini-vacation if it is very different from your daily life.

Too often finding temporary relaxation through purchases can create a nasty cycle of having to work your tail off to afford those belongings while having less time to relax.  Living more modestly but comfortably can instead give you time to enjoy the experiences which matter to you, and to treasure those memories for your lifetime.

Experience life!

image cc by spunkinator