The reason why Singaporeans are unhappy

As children, happiness was all about getting our desired toys or playing our favorite games. If we did not get what we want, we threw tantrums or cried. When we became working adults, being happy meant achieving our goals and dreams. If we did not meet our self expectations, we became unhappy, frustrated and indulged in the blame game.

As we matured and entered into our twilight years, happiness was about attaining a balanced state of mind. If we were unhealthy or sick-ridden, we could not have a peace of mind.

The above philosophy perhaps summed up what happiness represents in different phases of our lives. In recent years, there were a lot of articles on this topic and there were also much debate on how Singaporeans view the quality of their lives in the lion city.

This is a natural progression of our civic society and many Singaporeans have began to think beyond the pursuit of money.

Obviously, money is important and we should always respect money. But many of us begin to realize that life is not all about making more and more money. There are many things in life that money cannot buy – respect, love, kinship and friendship. So at certain stage, having more money would not buy you happiness and make you a happier person.

I reckon most Singaporeans cannot figure out the above and thus many of us end up being unhappy and frustrated. Some are even angry at our Singapore system. Indeed, many of us choose to blame our government when things did not pan out the way we want in our lives but actually when things go wrong, pointing fingers would not improve yourself.

With a negative mindset, you will probably end up even more negative and unhappy. Sometimes, you might even embark on a self-destructing journey.

Whenever I see the various vicious and toxic remarks made by Singaporeans in online forums, I feel sorry for them. Because these fellows were consumed by hatred as a result of lost dreams.

Many online warriors could not get the things they want in their lives, e.g. job promotions or HDB BTO flats, so they targeted their anger towards government policies. They think that flaming up sentiments in the internet is the best way of revenge but they don’t realize that by doing so, their actions only made them look pathetic. They behave like a child wanting to have that forbidden candy and when the parents refused to let them have it, they secretly drew on the wall behind their parents’ backs.

We need to realize that to hate someone or an entity is draining and tiring. It can even be a mental torture. Life is really short, so if you can choose to occupy your mind with happy thoughts, why not? Now, the trick to engage in positive thoughts is to begin with the end in mind. If we picture ourselves living in west Africa now, we would realize the challenges faced in Singapore are trivial compared to the horror of the Ebola disease and starvation.

If we picture ourselves as being ethnic minorities in the Middle East, we would realize the “hardships” in Singapore are nothing compared to the constant fear faced by the people there and the countless ravages of war.

Towards the end of our journey, there are only two elements that would affect the state of our mind: illnesses and death. If we can adjust out mindsets and frame our perspective from that angle, I believe we are able to moderate our expectations and become a much happier person.

We all have different pathways in our lives and everyone has their stories to write. Life is really short and you don’t want to look back with regrets. Happiness is not about being rich or being able to retire young. Happiness is a state of mind when your mind and body can function well without being consumed by negative emotions. Start living today.

Magically yours,

SG Wealth Builder