Broncos’ John Moffitt quits NFL
Image from:
Wikipedia

Some may see this as a surprise.  An NFL player walks away from fame, and stardom and a possible Super Bowl berth.  Saying he was no longer happy, John Moffitt walked away from a game that could have set him up for life.  He has a grip on what’s important, however, and it isn’t money:
I’m sitting here and I got to this point and I was like, what is the number that you need? How much do you really need? What do you want in life? And I decided that I don’t really need to be a millionaire.  “I just want to be happy. And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don’t have the least in life. I have enough in life. And I won’t sacrifice my health for that.”

This is fascinating to see in action as I haven’t seen someone walk away from, a game; something they have long thought they wanted.  When I watch sports, when I watch entertainment, my normal thought process goes something like this:
Wow!  How fortunate these people are to be pursuing their life’s goal.

I don’t stop to consider that maybe they aren’t REALLY happy after all.  Wouldn’t you think someone playing a game for a living would be beside themselves with joy?  How many of us get to play a game and make money while doing so?

I just want to be happy.
How much do you really need?

These two lines are music to my ears, as I live them on a daily basis.  But what’s really fascinating is the fact that John Moffitt is walking away from a game!

A game!

After seeing this article last week I will stop to consider if someone really is happy doing something I used to think was a no brainer.  This just proves my adage again:
Money won’t create joy.

One of my Madison Coffee Shop friends, Dale S. likes to mimic me and say:
But don’t chase the money.  It’s one of the things I maintain.  Don’t chase the money, chase your gift.  Dale likes to joke around with me about my worldview.  While he understands what I’m saying, he lives in a world where financial success is important.  I don’t begrudge him that.  I fully appreciate that he is coming at this from a different place.  My attitude is:
Why be miserable doing something you hate for financial success?

I think it is much more important to create joy around you then create financial success.  You can’t take the money with you.  You can take take your distressed personality with you though.  It will show up wherever you go.  Wouldn’t it be better to fling joy?  You can’t throw joy around if you have none to share.  It appears that John Moffitt came to this realization as well.

Money REALLY doesn’t create joy as can be seen from the above example as well as many other stories.
Do you have similar examples?  Let me know in the comments below.

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris