How I got off the hedonic treadmill?

In pursuit of happiness

When I started working 14 years ago, all I had was a bag of clothes, many books, little money and a big will to achieve something.

God knows when my ‘will to achieve’ turned into a desire to earn more money.

As I earned more money, my desires grew too.

Before I realised, I was on this hedonic treadmill.

I bought a car, one more car, a time share, traveled places, bought expensive stuff and worked to raise my standard of living. More money needed.

I thought I was getting happier only to realise that the happiness was short lived.

More stuff and more stuff.

I became an excess user of credit card and weekend shopping became my pastime. What I didn’t realise I was betting my future income on my current desires.

What I forgot to stop and ask was  “Am I making myself any happier than I was already?”.

Anways, life went on.

And then, 6 years ago, I quit my job to be on my own. 

I quit the job, but the treadmill, the hedonic treadmill hadn’t quit me. I was still on it.

Till the time I was getting a salary every month, I never felt bothered. But now, reality was staring at me.

Within a year, I was asking myself –

“What am I doing?”

“How do I get off this treadmill?”

Few days later, I was asking the more important one:

“What makes me truly happy?” 

In my introspection, I zeroed down on 5 things:

#1 Reading & Learning

I remember a time when I had got 13 books and I was reading all the time. In eleven days, continuous, I devoured them all. This continues to be a constant. Now, I read not only books but a lot more. I spend a lot more time learning.

#2 Health

Let me first repeat the old saying – ” a sound mind in a sound body”. When your feel great, you find instant happiness in anything. When you don’t feel healthy, every small thing irritates you. I can vouch for that. Today, my morning Surya Namaskars fill me with energy and happiness. By the way, I love great food too.

#3 Travel

My high point in travel was I went on a road trip from Mumbai to my home town in Rajasthan. Over 14 days, I not just added miles to my car but several life perspectives too. The most important learning I got was to “keep going”.

#4 Friends

I am truly privileged to have some wonderful human beings as my friends. Being with them, interacting with them makes me feel rooted in the moment. Can anything else make you happier?

#5 Sense of purpose – my Ikigai

The best way to describe this is “what gets you out of the bed.” My enthusiasm to enable people to do their best and handle their money and investments right as also writing on and teaching via my blog is my ‘ikigai’.

Time for Action

Once, I had zeroed down on what is important to me, I started the process of annihilation. Everything that did not add to my real happiness or distracted me from my sense of purpose was pruned.

I did away with my time share and all the other stuff I didn’t need. I switched to public transport for my travel.

Believe me, with these changes over time, my happiness did not reduce a bit. Never for a moment I felt I was becoming poorer.

In fact, I had much more attention for things that matter to me – reading, travel, health, my work that I love and friends.

The Result

Today, I earn as much as in my last job but what I get is worth much more.

I am on my own, my time is mine and I enjoy complete flexibility in my schedule.

There is never a day, which feels like work.

Whatever I do I adds to my own personal equity.

What else does one need? Certainly not a lot of money – not for being happy!

Finally, I have realised that getting off this hedonic treadmill is the real key to financial freedom.

Spending more, buying expensive stuff is not equivalent to adding to happiness. More money does not mean more permanent increase in happiness.

Once, you know the true source of your happiness, you also realise how little money you need to take care of yourself.

You don’t need those many many millions or crores and you don’t need to sacrifice your living time for them.

 

A famous sculptor was asked how did he create such beautiful statues.

His answer “I keep chiseling away on the rock until the form emerges.”

And that gives us the formula to happiness too. “The key to happiness is not to add stuff to your life, but to remove the desires that keep you on the hedonic treadmill .”

Get off it.

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So, how are you planning to get off your hedonistic treadmill and move towards your true freedom?

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