I read a short story last night at before bed and it got me to thinking. How much is enough? How much money would it take to make you happy? Of course, I realize there is a certain basic amount most people require to cover their basic needs, but once you surpass the needs, how many "wants" make your life better? Is it a big house in a real nice neigborhood? An European manufactured automobile? A rebadged Honda, Toyota, or Nissan (a.k.a. Acura, Lexus, and Nissan)? Are those things nice? Sure. I won't argue that. But, at what cost? Seems to me that a lot of people spend a lot of money trying to impress somebody they don't know at a stop light or in a parking lot. Will that next big promotion make you a happier person, along with the pay increase? That all depends. Are you doing it for you or to impress others. Is it to enable you to buy that big house because that is what you think will make you happy? Hedging all your bets that the next raise or promotion will bring nirvana and life will be wonderful? Maybe for a very short while until the elation wears off and, then, you're back to chasing that feeling, again.
From what I have learned, money does not buy happiness. Happiness comes from within and through personal growth. That next promotion looming on the horizon may offer more money, but the trade-off is, most likely, going to require taking a bite out of personal time. And, the one thing in my life you can't put a price tag on is my personal time. Life is not all about work. I made a decision several years ago that I wasn't willing to trade higher levels of responsibility if it meant risking my personal time. That wasn't the way I always thought. I used to have a goal to retire early, but that goal changed. I witness on a daily basis, due to my work email, individuals who send out emails late into the evening and, sometimes, past midnight. I seriously doubt when I am nearing the end of my life that I will wish I had worked more. Any regret would be towards not spending enough time with family and friends and enjoying life to the fullest.
1 comment:
I read that story too. The way I took it is you can try and climb and have nothing to climb to - you just do it as a part of the heard. Or you can stay within yourself and become somebody better. I can't say I fully agreed - just staying down and hoping things will turn out for the best is not what I would strive for. But I can see the benefits of not following the crowds.
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