Get a Life: You can't buy your way to happiness

By Loretta LaRoche

Loretta LaRoche - Leadership Events What always amazes me about living in the US is how obsessed we are with trying to be happy. The messages on the attainment of happiness are everywhere and are presented through a plethora of media.

We are all familiar with the notion that buying something will make us feel better. The pursuit of consumption is one of the primary ways Americans live their lives. Shopping has become a relief from boredom and stress. I have often heard individuals claim that they're going to engage in some retail therapy, as if the purchase of something will alleviate their condition.

It is this transition from something that was done out of necessity to something that is done because it is a catharsis of some kind that never ceases to fascinate me. My grandparents went food shopping, occasionally bought clothing and once in a great while considered a major purchase for the house – and this only when whatever it was, be it a sofa, mattress or refrigerator, had been so used up that it no longer had form or function.

Today, this no longer matters. We can buy and get rid of things easily because we have credit cards. My grandparents and my parents had only one way to pay for anything - with cash - and frivolous purchases were limited to a special imported parmesan cheese or an aged salami. They never considered how the thread count on their bed linens affected them or whether the coffee they drank came from a special bean that was found in an ancient burial ground outside Bolivia. Happiness came from the day to day of their existence, not from the promises of products or purchases. But we are not going to return to this rather simplistic ideology unless we begin to make a conscious effort to become more aware of how alluring the media can be.

I am amazed at how ridiculous we are becoming in our quest for ‘feel good’ chemistry. Last night, I watched in awe as one commercial after another alluded to how happy we would all be if we used heart burn medication, estrogen pills, toenail fungus creams, sexual enhancements, antidepressants or a host of other medications that not only provide relief but get us to twirl, spin, jump and laugh incessantly (if we believe the ads, that is). Sure, curing a health problem will definitely make us feel better, but to ask us to buy into the fact that this cure can create a total sense of euphoria and resolve all our problems is not only ludicrous but incredibly juvenile.

My only antidote to the whole ridiculous notion is to see it as a form of entertainment. If you can laugh at it, you will be less likely to get sucked in. The phrase attributed to P.T. Barnum says it best: "There's a sucker born every minute."

Don't let it be you.

Author, humorist, PBS star and Fortune 500 trainer Loretta LaRoche lives in Plymouth. Her wit, wisdom and humour offer a common-sense view of life that leaves audiences inspired, motivated and roaring with laughter.

Loretta LaRoche will be speaking at the following Power Within events:

If you would like to invite Loretta LaRoche to speak at your event, please click below.

Request this Speaker