Tag Archives: Harvard University

How You Feel About Money Affects Your Wealth

Ah, Aristotle- penchant of ancient greek wisdom. Nicely said, Dude. Although we live in the richest and most advanced society the world has ever known, many of us say we need more money in order to be happy, notes best-selling business book author Doug Vermeeren.

“Even some of those in the top percentile of earners often feel like they don’t have enough money,” says Vermeeren, (www.DouglasVermeeren.com), an international speaker who consults with celebrities, business executives and professional athletes.

“The math is simple: More money does not equal more happiness. It’s our attitude toward money, not the amount, that influences our happiness the most.”

Doug Vermeeren was interviewed earlier this year by Shaw. You can watch this by clicking on the link below at the end of the article. CP

Happiness researchers Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, professors at the Harvard Business School, recently published research indicating that it’s not money that makes people happy, nor the things people buy with it. Rather, it’s the experiences one has that ultimately account for happiness.

“How you experience your money on a day-to-day basis is what matters,” Vermeeren says. “If the software running in your brain is constantly reinforcing the message, ‘it’s not enough,’ then that is likely how you will see yourself and experience your life – as ‘not enough.’ ”

The world’s richest city- is it Tokyo or Dubai? The top ranking seems up for grabs and changes from year to year.

Harvard's Happiness researcher (we're not making this stuff up) Elizabeth Dunn
Harvard’s Happiness researcher  Elizabeth Dunn

Vermeeren reviews the three fallacies of abundance as it relates to happiness:

We are all entitled to a certain amount of wealth: The feeling that we deserve or are owed a certain amount of wealth will always make us unhappy with whatever we have. While we are entitled to certain human rights, those do not include a winning lottery ticket. In reality, we are not owed any amount of abundance and, in fact, should count ourselves lucky if we’re able to meet our basic needs; many in the world are not. More of us, however, would be happier simply appreciating what we have.

The result of our labors is money: Money is a means to an end, not an end in itself. This can be a challenge to keep in mind since so much of our lives are spent in the pursuit of money. We work and go to school to support ourselves and our families. We see things we want, and we know we need more money for them. Study after study shows, however, that what really makes us happy is what we do and who we do it with, and not how much money we spend.

We’ll be happiest when we finally reach our goal: We are happiest when we are progressing toward a goal. When we lose sight of our goal, veer off the path toward our goal, and even achieve our goal, we’re less happy. Rather than setting one goal and deciding you will be happy when you meet it, you’ll be most happy if you continually set goals and relish your journey toward them.

Doug Vermeeren is an internationally renowned public speaker, author, movie producer and director. His life coaching strategies help those from all walks of life, with clients including business executives, celebrities, professional athletes and more. Throughout the last decade, Vermeeren has conducted extensive first hand research into the lives of more than 400 of the world’s top contemporary achievers, making him a sought-after commentator on news outlets including ABC, FOX, CNN and more. He has written three titles contributing to Guerilla Marketing, the best-selling business series in publishing, which is included reading in the Harvard Business School.

His documentaries include the award-winning film, The Opus, which has been published by Random House as a book in 23 countries. Vermeeren’s latest film, The Gratitude Experiment , has received critical acclaim.  For the Silo, Ginny Grimsley. 

Click to view on I-tunes
Click to view on I-tunes

Vancouver Company Producing Anxiety Fighting Play Tents For Children

Vancouver-based maker of play tents for children, Domestic Objects, has made it easier for parents and children to ‘unplug’ from the digital world with their Play Tent Canopy. Designed and manufactured to fit securely over a mattress on the floor, the Play Tent Canopy offer parents a clearly delineated space for family time and imagination-based play, shutting out the digital distractions that can be harmful to early child development and lead to developmental problems such as anxiety.

Domestic Objects Sarah JaggerLaunched by Sarah Jagger in 2014, Domestic Objects has built a solid reputation in Canada, the U.S.A. and abroad for handmade, customizable play tents designed to stimulate a child’s natural curiosity and sense of play.

The Play Tent Canopy was initially created at the request of a mother with a very active toddler who was consistently climbing out of their crib. Now Domestic Objects’ best-selling product, it’s now available in four standard mattress sizes in a variety of fabrics, and as a custom order for non-standard mattresses.

“Part of the attraction of the Play Tent Canopy, I think, is practical. You can have a play area that doesn’t take up extra space in a child’s bedroom,” says Jagger. “Plus, being both a restful sleeping space and an imagination-fuelled play space, a canopy helps with the transition from a crib to a “real” bed.”

But, most important to Jagger, is how Domestic Objects play tents can bring parents and children together in play and spark a child’s innate imagination and creativity. A play tent can help a family unplug from the digital world and facilitate more natural and self-driven playtime.

Domestic Objects Teepee Kids RoomA recent study by the Canadian Paediatric Society states that “[high] exposure to background TV has been found to negatively affect language use and acquisition, attention, cognitive development and executive function in children under 5 years old. It also reduces the amount and quality of parent-child interaction and distracts from play.”

Dr. Shimi Kang agrees. The award-winning, Harvard-trained doctor, researcher, bestselling author and speaker says research shows that children are less creative now than they were before the advent of the parental “helpers” like iPads and online educational games.

Domestic Objects Firepit

“We are living in an era of paradox,” says Dr. Kang. “Our society is technologically advanced, yet our children are becoming increasingly unhealthy with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and addiction. The Play Tent Canopy provides a space where children will receive the brain-boosting benefits of imaginary play, family bonding and precious downtime.”

Domestic Objects Play Tent Canopy (starting at $238 CAD) and its other products are available and ship worldwide through the Domestic Objects website and the company’s Etsy store.

ABOUT DOMESTIC OBJECTS
Domestic Objects offers eight different imaginative play products, including customizable teepees and canopy beds in an array of stylish fabrics, matching floor pillows, whimsical accessories and even and a children’s book, The Play Tent of Imagination, which Jagger wrote in collaboration with illustrator Lenny Wen.

Novel Warns North Americans Of Corrupt Bankers And Valueless Dollar

Back in 2012 The Silo reported on a dark novel titled Zurabia. That book held a plot that seems less like fiction with each passing year.  Corrupt bankers, a practically valueless dollar, hyper-unemployment and underemployment, home-grown terrorism, the uptick in natural disasters and the overall lack of trust in our most important institutions – these are some of the reasons all North Americans should be very, very concerned, according to author Peter Dash a world-traveled researcher for Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs.

Peter Dash and his novel

“I predict a brutal world ahead of us,” says Dash, author of “ZUrabia,” a book about rogue forces taking over the world’s most important institutions. “Unfortunately, I have been right since my research at Harvard in 1986, when I questioned the viability of government institutions to meet general needs and growing problems, both domestically and abroad.”

The pragmatic holiday shopper this year will purchase items to safeguard their families against these threats, which have been long in the making and won’t disappear quickly, he says.

From Dash’s homepage- a map of Zurabia complete with mountains and a mushroom cloud. Biblical ! CP

“Terrorism wasn’t inaugurated with 9-11; extremism in Muslim sects has been growing for decades, and Neo-Nazi groups are starting to flourish in failing states like Greece,” he says. “The dollar has been steadily losing its value since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913; climate change has been on the radar for quite a while; and there have been greedy bankers since, well, banks have existed.”

“If you’re confident that everything is sure to be okay, then you’re not paying attention,” he says.

He offers a four-point survival strategy for holiday and everyday shopping:

• Gold is good: The dollar has lost 95 percent of its value in 100 years, and it will continue losing value. As
the Reserve continues to flood money into the system, thereby reducing current or potential value, more inflation is inevitable, acting as yet another tax on wages. So, collect and buy any gold that you can and consider spending federal notes while they’re still worth something to businesses. Think about your
jewelry, and buying more. Silver is a good option if gold is too expensive, and there are Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, that are backed by physical gold. A reputable banker or broker can help explain for those who are interested. “TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab may be good places to start getting information on gold and silver ETF trading,” according to Dash.

• Inflation: Spend your money now or smartly invest it before you lose it. Remember, banks often give clients less than one percent on many accounts, but inflation on food and real items we use, like gasoline, are going up by much more. In essence, your banker is stealing your money through the assistance of the Fed, which is killing your savings rate by cheapening money. As if to pour salt on this wound, the bank,
in many cases, lends money at four percent or higher. Rerouting some bank savings/wages by investing in canned food, for example, may protect you against the scourge of food inflation, as well as other disasters.

• Worthy purchases: With food and water, a failed society puts a premium on additional goods. They include home insulation, gardening tools and materials, computer programs and language learning kits – perhaps Spanish or Chinese – because of the increasing prominence of other cultures. Guns, security systems and other measures to protect one’s home will likely prove extremely valuable should law enforcement be spread too thin, or fail as an institution.

• Buy in bulk: Places like Wal-Mart or Costco will help you get the most value with large purchases of food. It’s important to be well-stocked if something happens that results in the emptying of grocery markets, but remember to have adequate space in your house, apartment or cabin for a “safe” room, which is part of a sound strategy for protecting you and your family.

Peter Dash has been a teacher, professor and corporate trainer for the last 17 years, working in Saudi Arabia, the former Soviet Union and China. He has an applied science degree in forestry from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in applied teaching from Southern Queensland in Australia. He was a researcher in world (dis) order and youth groups at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs, started by Henry Kissinger. He follows the investment field intensely, focusing on commodity funds and trends.
Fifteen percent of his book’s royalties will go to needy students consistent to the many years Dash has worked in assisting voluntary youth organizations. He lives on a small tropical island that is stocked with the finest well water, fish and food. Dash invests in Gold ETFs and commodity trading companies.

SupplementalCBC radio interview with Dash on Zurabia