Financial mistakes aren’t all bad. Everybody makes these mistakes and they can actually be a great benefit for you in the long run.

The key is learning from them instead of repeating them over and over again. Instead of being hard on yourself when you make a mistake, take the time to learn from it and make sure that it never happens again. Do what you love and money will follow. The money probably won’t be there at first, and it might seem impossible for you to figure out a way to make money from it but if you are truly passionate about it, there is a way to succeed and make a living doing what you love.

PERSONAL finances is not rocket science. The basics are simple to understand and anyone can grasp the concepts very quickly – spend less than you earn, save and invest the rest. That’s it!

Knowing what you need to do and actually following through with it are, however, two different things.

Most people do realise that spending more money than they have is a bad, bad thing.

But that still doesn’t keep mil-lions of people from drowning themselves in debt.

What follows in this article are a few financial happiness lessons that have the power to change your life if you are able to embrace them.

Money cannot make you happy. We all know this, in principle, but we still stay in jobs we do not enjoy; we drag our feet day by day. We need to get it into our heads that money in itself does not make you happy, and collecting money will do very little for your happiness unless you know how to use that money once you have it.

Happiness can, however, come from the opportunities money makes available so that you can do the things that you want to do. If you have no idea what these things are then no amount of money will make you happy.

Goals are the key. Start making financial goals today; don’t wait until you’re in your forties. Financial goals give you something to strive for and they help to give you clearer knowledge on how you want to spend the money that you earn.

They also greatly help you avoid impulse purchases and spending money on things that aren’t important.

Buy memories, not things. When it comes to spending the money that you have, buying experiences and memories with those whom you care about is a much better way of using your money than purchasing material things. It’s not the house that you buy but the home that you make with your family that matters.

When you look back on your life, you will remember the times, memories and experiences far more than the things that you have purchased.  Understanding this will ensure that you get much more value out of the money you spend.

TV is a dream killer. We hear time and time again people saying that they simply don’t have the time to achieve the goals that they have. If you are the average person, that time that you don’t have is being spent in front of your television.

If you want to achieve your goals and dreams, the first thing you need to do is to start weaning yourself off your television. You can’t imagine the amount of extra time that you have and all the extra things that you can accomplish when you take the time spent in front of the television (or computer or whatever other form of procrastination you use) to work on the financial and other goals that you have.

Financial mistakes aren’t all bad. Everybody makes these mistakes and they can actually be a great benefit for you in the long run. The key is learning from them instead of repeating them over and over again. Instead of being hard on yourself when you make a mistake, take the time to learn from it and make sure that it never happens again.

Do what you love and money will follow. The money probably won’t be there at first, and it might seem impossible for you to figure out a way to make money from it but if you are truly passionate about it, there is a way to succeed and make a living doing what you love.

It takes a lot of time, effort and persistence, and it won’t be easy. You will likely have to become quite creative to make it happen but if you truly love what you’re doing, that effort will be the reason you are willing to put in the extra hours it takes to succeed.

That concludes our tips to financial happiness.

We really hope you will make use of them in this new year.

Please note that the above is for information purposes only and does not constitute tax advice. As each individual’s personal circumstances vary, we recommend they seek advice on the matter. Please note that while every effort is made to ensure accuracy, Nexia SAB&T does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors contained herein. If you are in doubt about any information in this article or require any advice on the topical matter, please do not hesitate to contact any Nexia SAB&T office nationally.

Create your financial happiness this year!