The easiest excuse to make is more money = more happiness.
For the most part that is a lazy uneducated statement. Thereâs no doubt a base level of security will keep you sane, financially stable and allow you to live a fruitful life yet after a set point, no amount of goods will fill any hole inside.
Through extensive research, psychology and intricate experiments, it simply isnât true that more money = more joy and the only people that truly understand it are those that have gone through it themselves.
The rest that wished they had more to buy junk they donât need canât believe it.
The grass isnât usually greener on the other side. You have it pretty good if you are reading this.
Our level of happiness plateaus after earning $70k per year because true wealth is found in the things cannot be purchased.
For example, health is priceless. Thereâs only so much you can do to improve it with more zeros in your bank account. Buy more healthy food and now overeat even more?
Same thing with relationships. Sure, the more money you have, the more opportunities but you have to prove you are there, not your good fortune.
You can attend as many Tony Robbins spiritual awakening events and Justin Bieber concerts you can get back stage passes to to eventually form true relationships with them and become besties, but if they arenât feeling the bond and you are faking it, it wonât last.
You have to put work into everything. Money doesnât solve it.
Once our basic needs are met, we donât know what to do with our money.
We can either:
-Invest
-Spend
-Save
Thatâs it and out of the 3, thereâs only 1 thatâs really exciting in the moment but gets us drunk and put in a food coma afterwards: spending.
Buying that extra purse or car to fill your sadness will make you feel good for a hot sec but after getting used to it, you get back to reality and have to face the truth yourself. Thatâs where spending money on others comes into play.
Truthfully, you donât want to blow all your money on someone that you go into debt for them.
But if you had a choice of spending money on yourself or a friend, always choose the friend and treat yourself once in a while as well but donât expect the same gratification.
The Best Gift is Giving
You already have what you need and are enough. We hear that all the time but are convinced we donât and some new gadget or sip of brew will make our lives better.
Humans are inherently horrible at making purchases and choices. We forget that decisions involving money all have consequences. 90% of the purchases we make we regret. We believe we need this new shirt when we have another one that works fine. We believe the next pair of shoes will be bette than these we havenât worn yet.
Making someone feel good is the best feeling you can give someone and yourself because it will last.
As they say in the networking world, itâs not always about what you know, but who you know and it applies the same way here. People will come back to help you while purchases will most likely haunt you and take up space.
You wonât remember that random purchase you made for yourself as much as getting a hug and thank you letter from a friend for taking them out to eat.
If you want to feel good, get someone else to feel good.
Memories and experiences last. That shirt will fade in the wash.