Three stories - part 1
Story 1 - Gym guy who sits at the front desk
I go to 24 Hours Fitness regularly in downtown Seattle. It has been my routine for the last couple of years. A few months ago, I changed my routine from hitting the gym in the evening to morning. In the world of fitness, as I have realized, you can be either a morning or an evening person but rarely both. My change in routine meant that most of the regulars that I was used to seeing in the evening were not present in the morning. Not gonna lie, I did slightly miss my evening routine in the beginning but no big deal as I got used to the mornings.
Being a regular morning gymgoer, I started recognizing and getting recognized by a few people. That feeling is always nice when you make a quick eye contact with someone and nod without necessarily talking to them but showing an invisible respect for being a regular. Something like that happened between Yassin and me. Yassin is the guy who sits at the front desk of my gym usually around 7:30AM.
Yassin sits at the front desk to ensure that only the members get into the gym. There is a quick check-in process where you scan a barcode on your phone and it beeps signalling that you are good to go. He and I would exchange a quick nod and a smile and I would then barge into the gym hoping that the machines I have to use that day aren’t occupied.
One of these days, Yassin and I broke a small conversation. We both looked at each other and exchanged a usual “hi” with a smile. Not sure why but on that day I causally asked him, “How are you doing today?” Now, in the American culture, a question like that is often rhetorical. Or, at most, the other person might just say, “I am doing well. How about you?” without expecting a response in return. But Yassin didn’t do that. When I asked him how was he doing that day, he smiled at me and said, “I am doing great man! I am alive and I am standing in full health in front of you. It’s a beautiful morning and I am sipping on some great coffee. Couldn’t have asked for more!” That hit me. His simple but profound reply was so true! You see, Yassin didn’t say anything extra ordinary that day. But the way he said it adding his own perspective of how he sees things around him and with a genuine smile and happiness emanating from his face felt special.
Every time I see Yassin at the gym now, he has a wide smile on his face and we usually have a small chit-chat (unless there is a crowd) before I get into the gym and start my workout. This small but a positive and a happy interaction with him makes me glad and is a great way to start my day!
Yassin probably doesn’t make a lot of money working at 24 Hours Fitness. But, on the surface level at least, he seems to be happy doing what he’s doing. So, is there a co-relation between happiness and money? In my opinion, happiness does depend on money up to a certain extent. Consider this extreme example - assume you are a single parent making minimum wage in the US and can’t feed your children 3 meals a day. Yes, you’ll be happier if you could get some extra income. But is there a threshold? Well, according to several studies, yes, there is. In 2010, a Nobel Prize economist and psychologist Kehneman concluded that “emotional well-being rises with log income, but there is no further progress beyond an annual income of $75,000.”[1] His research was contradicted by Killingsworth in 2021 where he argued that there exists no plateau to happiness as people make more than $75,000[2]. In 2023, both Kehneman and Killingsworth collaborated and came out with yet another study[3] that reached a few important conclusions including:
For most people, “happiness continues to rise with income even in the high range of incomes”.
For a minority of people (20% in their study of over 30k participants), “unhappiness diminishes with rising income up to a threshold, then shows no further progress.” The authors came to a threshold of $100,000 for this case.
What Kehneman and Killingsworth are basically trying to say is that if you are an unhappy person, more money won’t really make you happy. I guess that’s one of the reasons why you hear of rich and unhappy people fighting depression. The authors also made it clear towards the end of the research paper that money is just one of the many determinants of happiness but not the ultimate secret to happiness, although it can help a bit.
Yassin doesn’t seem rich. And he probably doesn’t make 6 figures working at the front desk of the 24 Hours Fitness gym. But he seems happy. Will he be happier with more money? That’s possible. But does that stop him from living in the moment and appreciating all that he has including his health and that fine cup of coffee in his hand? I don’t think so.
Personally speaking, I know that I have been guilty of focusing too much on the minority of things not working as I want them to in my life while ignoring the other 99% of the things that are working in perfect sync and harmony. Plain and simple, I am lucky for having an abundance of things working so well for me. Being appreciative of the smallest of the things around oneself doesn’t take much other than living in the moment and taking a pause and realizing all the amazing things around us, most of which don’t cost any money. Yes, being appreciative can come easily to some than others but I don’t think it’s something that can’t be learnt. Practicing mindfulness is one of the ways to achieve it. And if I can add my personal anecdote, staying away from your mobile phones and, in fact, any digital screens as much as you can also goes a long way in being present in the moment and appreciating the wonderful things around us.
Yassin would probably never read this blog. And little does he know that I look forward to our quick chats every time I go to the gym. But hey, if by any chance you go to the 24 Hours Fitness gym in downtown Seattle and need some positivity in your life, go say hi to Yassin, and tell him that I sent you his way 😊
Till then, carpe diem!
References:
Kahneman, Daniel, and Angus Deaton. "High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being." Proceedings of the national academy of sciences 107.38 (2010): 16489-16493.
Killingsworth, Matthew A. "Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118.4 (2021): e2016976118.
Killingsworth, Matthew A., Daniel Kahneman, and Barbara Mellers. "Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120.10 (2023): e2208661120.