Pedestrian View

My friend Greg Connor wrote a masters thesis a few years ago where he explores the possibilities of measuring Well Being - what might be called Happiness - which he also equates with Wealth. Now he’s developing a website (under construction - but the calculator works) where you can calculate your own Well Being. (Google “Connor123″)

When he told me about it I was pretty skeptical, but it was worth ten minutes of my time to check it out. Heck, it was worth 15. Ultimately, Connor123 got me to think about how I allocate my time and money, which is a very helpful thing.

To begin, Greg quotes Thoreau saying, “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” Greg’s calculator divides that “cost” into the two factors of Time and Money. In Greg’s world, Wealth is only about money in so far as money allows us to do things that are fulfilling or meaningful to us. Therefore, the rich woman who works all the time will score as poorly as the poor man whose time is his own. Balance is the key.

Intuitively, most of us know this to be true, but achieving such a balance is different than understanding it. Knowing me, Greg predicted correctly that I’d come out very short on the Time end of things. I also came up pretty short on Money (you know, teacher), but what’s more important is that the process got me thinking. I haven’t changed my lifestyle, but I may soon. (Geez. Don’t get pushy!)

If you’re interested, see Connor123 in my Blogroll. If you’ve got better ways to spend 10 minutes, Greg and I approve completely!

By the way, you can also find Greg at The Banjo Hangout.