TMI Tuesday: Health, Wealth and Happiness

1. Do you feel that happiness is luck or is it a practiced mindset?

I feel it’s a practiced mindset. We can learn how to be happy, or we can also learn to reprogram our minds for happiness, I’m reading several books about that very subject. I find it both sad and sick to think that it’s all due to fate about how we live, look, and act rather than learned behaviors. True, that some things in our lives can’t be changed… our skin color and our height, but our size, gender, attitudes, and intelligence can all be changed if we want them to be.

2. If you could transport to the happiest place in the world where would you be?

Disneyland and Disney World are the first to come to mind, and yes, I would love to visit both. Hawaii is the second one, and no matter how many times I’ve been there, I always want to go back. But the first on my list is just staying home. I have everything I want right here; all kinds of hobbies and projects and diversions. I no longer enjoy the hassles and problems with traveling, especially because of Covid. I don’t care for crowds, especially wall-to-wall crowds, and those are situations I try to avoid. I’m happy to explore the places I’d like to go using video and webcams, learning languages, tasting regionally cuisines prepared locally, and ordering online the things I would buy if I was there, such as clothing, artwork, and Christmas ornaments.

3. In 2022, what will you do to improve your health?

I am living in a new place where my meals are prepared for me. Having that done means I’m eating a much more a balanced diet. While I’m not trying to lose weight, I still have lost 20 pounds. I am also doing limited exercises provided from my physical therapist. It’s hard to do much exercising when you are unable to walk or stand very well. But I’m doing chair exercises and I have just started exploring chair yoga on Youtube.

4. What is your money psychology?
a. Money worshipper: Those who associate money with security, but in a kind of arbitrary way. The danger is no amount of money is ever enough.

b. Money avoidance: When you tend to think of money as bad, corrupting or just something you do not deserve. This can manifest in many ways, such as, not trying to negotiate a raise at work or avoiding looking at your retirement account.

c. Money vigilance: These people seem really great with their money, but there is a lot of anxiety around actually using it. This type can be great savers but rarely treat themselves.

d. Money status: People with this mind-set see money as a way to feel good about themselves and appear a certain way to others. These folks tend to run up credit card debt, pick up tabs they cannot afford and otherwise mismanage their money — while judging others who do not have the same status symbols.

I am a little bit of all of these. My husband a money worshipper and was sure we were always going to be destitute. After he died and my son and I went through the finances, we discovered it was just the opposite. I was a little bit angry that my husband hid so much from me. I don’t find any joy about worrying about money, but I do enjoy spending it. I have to make sure I don’t go overboard.

Bonus: Do you have any goals for your blog in 2022?

1. To write in my blog more often, the goal is to write every day, or several times a day to make up for the days I miss.
2. To get 60 years of photos in albums
3. To finish at least one of the books I’ve started and get it published
4. To republish the children’s book I published 20 years ago.
5. To get my family history books finished to share with other family members.
6. To get my house sold.
7. To finish all of the craft and needlework projects I have started.

How to play TMI Tuesday: Copy the above TMI Tuesday questions to your webspace (i.e., a blog). Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below, on this blog post, so we’ll all know where to read your responses. Please don’t forget to link to tmituesdayblog from your website!