Fairly recently, my husband has gotten into the stock market.  He thinks of it as a big game I think, a challenge to see if he can figure out and beat the system.  It’s just one of many things he does to add meaning to his day.  As with most things, he’ll jump in with both feet, studying with people he’s found on YouTube and actually reading a book.  Yes, I too was shocked.  But I digress.  While the majority of his time is spent doing the band thing, he has learned to diversify his portfolio in terms of meaningfulness.

I watched an author speak today on how one of the reasons people are unhappy is because they depend on only one thing in their lives to give them meaning.  It may be a man who does nothing but work or a mom who puts all her energy in her child.  All it takes is something to happen and that thing that brings you happiness is gone.  What do you have to hold you up?  The research says that if you have faith in a higher being, you have a tendency to be happier and even when things are pulled out from underneath you, you have hope.

For the longest time, after I was married, I put all my energy in my husband.  Now, he’s a great guy and all, but he’s always been independent and done his own thing.  So, anytime he did that, I felt I had nothing.  I had not diversified my portfolio at all.  Even when I was working, the work was just to keep me busy until I could work with my husband again.  It took me years to figure out that I had to find things that I was passionate about and could pursue to fill me.  While my husband is very important and my best friend obviously, I can’t depend on him for my happiness.  Only I can do that.

Diversifying also means that things can and need to change.  The things that bring me happiness now are quite different than they were even five years ago.  Writing, speaking, traveling and meeting all kinds a people smarter than me gives me a shot in the arm, makes me feel like I’m contributing something.  And while I am happy with my husband, he is no longer my sole source of meaning.  It’s so much healthier.

The thing about diversifying is that it is customizable.   Your portfolio of meaningfulness shows your strengths and personality and makes who you are and what you do unique.  I can experiment, make different investments at different levels and change whenever I want. But like any investment, you have to overcome the fear that can arise when you have to make decisions about those investments.  But what’s the worst that can happen?  You lose a few bucks, you adjust and try again.  But to sometimes reap great rewards in terms of happiness, you’ve got to fully invest in meaningfulness, despite the fear.

I hope this encourages others to invest in areas of meaningfulness they’ve been thinking of for awhile.  I really hope those who are considerably younger than I will invest earlier than I did – life can be brief.  But whenever you decide to step out of your comfort zone and invest in yourself to make a difference not only in your life but in the lives of others, know that you can be happier.  While there are still struggles, I AM happier and am less afraid to invest in diversifying my portfolio.