EveryonehasheardoftheAmericanDreamwhichformanymeanshavingabighouseanexpensivecarandajobwithahighsalary.ButasurveyhasrevealedthatattitudestowardsuccessintheUSarechangingandmaterialpossessionsarelessimportantthanbefore.
AsurveypublishedinMaybyAmericanExpressaUSfinancialservicescompanyfoundthatthosesurveyed“define(定义)successbywhattheydomorethanbywhattheyhave”.Healthagoodrelationshipandanenjoyablejobratherthanawell-paidonefeaturedamongthetopfivecontributorstopersonalsuccess.
Ofthenearly2200USadultswhoweresurveyed61percentsaidtheydefineotherpeople’ssuccessbytheirhappinesslevelsnottheirincome(27percent).Only33percentconsidermoneytobethekeytoasuccessfullife.
Fromdifficultytohappiness
AccordingtoTheHuffingtonPosttheUS’financialcrisis(危机)andhighjoblessrateplayedanimportantroleinchangingattitudestowardsuccess.Althoughmanysufferedfromfinancialproblemstheexperiencealsohelpedthemtorealizewhatisimportantintheirlife.
GlenPizzolorussoaUScitizenisoneofthem.In2007whenhewas29Pizzolorussowasearning$100000(605112yuan)amonthandownedseveralhousesandcarsincludingaPorsche911.Whenthefinancialcrisishitin2009helosteverything.
ButinsteadoffeelingbrokenPizzolorussofoundhappiness.“IbegantorealizethethingsIhadbeensonaive(天真的)tooverlook:mychildrenmyhealthandsomeofthegreatestfriendsontheplanet.Andthebestpartofitwasthiswasallfree”hetoldtheNPR.
ThisrealizationledPizzolorussotochangehisdefinitionofsuccess.“IwasactuallyashamedIhadearnedsomuchmoneyandtheonlythingIhadtoshowforitwasahandfulofpictures.Ihadn’thelpedanyonebutmyself.IcouldhavedonesomanypositivethingswiththemoneyIearnedbutIfailedto.”
Giveandyouwillreceive
InastudypublishedinMaytwoprofessorsfromHarvardUniversityintheUSarguethatitispossibletobuyhappiness–ifyouspendmoneyonlifeexperiencesandotherpeople.
“Evensomethingsmalllikegoingoutforamealorlittleshifts(改变)inhowyouspend$5or$10canbringhappinesstopeople.Becauseexperiencesaremoreemotionallyinvolvingthansi
