Have you ever entertained the assumption that, when you get some amount of money, you will be happy and free to do what you want and desire?
It is quiet easy to think that money is everything and therefore you are struggling today (not happy) because you have not saved or gathered the amount you want.
It is often believed that, after getting some specific amount of money, you will be content, happy and will enjoy the beauty of life.
Over the years, I championed this concept in my mind. Thinking, I will work hard like a slave, save some specific amount of money and then I will do all the things I want (Travel, watch TV, visit friends and family anytime I wish) and be happy.
How much did I want to put in a reserve account before I could relax, be happy and enjoy life?
As a simple person with no children, I thought if I could save about $20,000 and place it in an bank account that I will never touch unless absolutely necessary (emergency), I would then become a happy person and would be able to pursuit my passion-writing, travelling, reading and learning new things.
My plan was to cut down on all time consuming work after I have saved this amount and then chase up my real passion. If I got broke along the way, I could always return to this emergency fund for few months as I try to find a job. Sounds like a perfect idea right?
Soon after I saved this amount, I realized I kept pushing the bar up, saying to myself, let me add $1000 more and then I will begin to chill, have fun, be happy and start digging into the things I am passionate about.
Six months down the line, I found myself still doing the exact unhappy things I was running away from by trying to save this money (working like a slave with no time to even relax).
Now that the money I wanted is saved, why am I not happy?
I clouded by existence with more work, forgetting that I can only be happy if I begin to enjoy TIME (do the things I want with the available time).
In my case, I was using all my time to work…I couldn’t even watch an hour movie without checking my phone to reply emails…WORK.
So I realized TIME is the most important element in pursuit of happiness. And the same TIME is essential when chasing money. Therefore If I wanted to be happy, I needed to cut down the time I dedicate to chasing money and channel it towards the things that would make me happy.
Money would not buy me any extra time in life…I have 24 hours today and had the same 24 hours in a day when I was a broke university student.
If what I do with my time is what would make me happy or unhappy, then I could have been happy years ago when I was broke.
All I am trying to tell you is that; do not buy into the concept of happiness after getting some specific amount of money. This is because money in itself would not make you happy. What will make you happy is what you do with the time you have.
Ask yourself what makes you happy as a person?
If watching movies, talking to friends or helping people make you happy…That is what you need to do more, allocate more of your time to doing that instead of chasing money.
Do not postpone your happiness to after getting money or after saving some specific amount of money.
The reality is, even if you are able to save this amount, you would always want to add more and therefore would not be able to enjoy life as you think you would.
Unless you want to tell me that, you are a happy person when you work like a slave to accumulate money!
What has been your experience with money and happiness? How do you view happiness?
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