Money vs. Happiness

You like to live dangerously, don't ya?

 

I don't think it makes you a shallow person. Now, if you are making yourself miserable to obtain these luxuries, and you find yourself equally miserable when you have them ... it might be time to re-evaluate things. It is really worth being miserable 51 weeks a year, in exchange for one week in Hawaii?

Nobody on this thread is saying that it is impossible to have money and be happy.

But sometimes, it IS an either/or proposition ... sometimes, the extra digits on your paycheck come with a whole heaping helping of stress/time away from family, etc ... and it's interesting to see how some folks resolve that internal debate.

There are days when I certainly would ake less money to be home more at this point in my life.

 

except for an unfortunate two-year glitch, i've always loved my job. not bad -- 28 out of 30 years, starting from a bottom-feeding copyboy at a major metro.

been blessed to be among the few who have been pretty well-paid, too. great wife, kids, friends. i'm incredibly happy and content, although i'm not in the best shape physically (not obesely out of shape, just disabled). it is what it is.

i consider myself extremely happy. my wife says i'm crazy. whatever. i understand -- my condition has put incredible strain on her.

but to get back to the topic, i've been blessed to combine doing what i love with making a pretty good living. are we "poorer" than everyone we know? i'd say so. we lead a very budgeted existence -- no extravagant vacations, don't contribute to 401k as much as i'd like, credit-card bills never seem 100 percent paid off -- but that's life, isn't it?

price of doing what i love is not ever making enough to be "comfortable." but we have a house in a wonderful community; we and our three boys have tremendous friends; all the non-financial plusses anyone should ever hope to have.

my parents, who have never had nearly as much money as we do, taught me from the get-go that he who dies with the most friends wins. i truly believe that. so yes, i don't consider myself poor at all.

a rationalization for never being "rich?" perhaps. but i do know that when my parents die, their funerals will be packed with people who truly loved them for who they were, people who would go to great pains to be there. as opposed to the funerals of many a "rich" folk crammed with biz associates in attendance 'cause it's the p.c., suck-up way to go.

nice rambling by me here, no?

 

Fact: Many arguments here that go either way are based on generalizations or assumptions.

The only person who can determine if you're happy is you. Do whatever you need or want to do to be happy. It could be the right job. It could be the right paycheck. It could be the right girl. It could be the right hobby. It's up to you.

 

I was happy when I was in newspapers, and I'm happy now that I'm out of newspapers. Every job I've had, I've been at least satisfied with the money as I never took a job if I felt the money was not right. I made more in my second newspaper job than any of my three non-newspaper jobs (though not by much) -- but it was a job that I quit after 7 months b/c I didn't like the boss and was too far from my family and friends. So money has never been the reason I was or was not happy. The reason I was happy when I was in newspapers was b/c I worked with fun people in a fun atmosphere, and for 8 hours each night, that was great, regardless of how gloomy the outlook of the business seems at other times. Since I've been out of newspapers, I've been happy b/c I can leave work at the office, have a normal schedule that allows me to enjoy my life with loved ones, and when I look at the future, I see more career options and a much more stable outlook than if I stayed in newspapers. True, I don't have as much fun in my 8 hours at work as I did back when I was in the biz, but those 16 other hours of the day sure are a lot happier. Happiness isn't about just money, and it sure as heck isn't just about how much fun you have in the office.

 

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/04/living-in-grati.html

 

Money can't buy happiness, but it's allowed me to rent it a few times.

 

Situations vary, but having the money to do the things that you, individually and familially, find satisfying goes a long way toward reaching a not-abstract level of happiness. People do tend to spend up the level of what they bring in, but there are certain comforts that are nearly impossible without at least the financial flexibility to pursue them. Example: I will always want to live within an hour of a pro-sports city and have the funds to afford season tickets if I choose. I need to make a certain amount of money for that to be reasonable.

 

Doesn't it depend on your priorities?

Season tickets can be had by just about anybody, if they're willing to live in a cheaper place, drive a cheaper car, do without HD TVs and other luxuries that many people think are necessities.

 

FIXED.

 

Thank you! Too many people in this business and on this board seem to have no comprehension of this simple truth ... the office part in particular. You have to throw so much of yourself into the job that you can easily lose sight of it. We want it to be fun and many times it is, but it's also work -- a job -- something we shouldn't be expected to take home.

And there's such a prevailing attitude that if you're not working all the time -- if you have other pursuits that divert your energies and attention -- you're worthless and you're never going to be anything but a bottom-feeder. So people start off at 22, 23 with a full head of steam, kill themselves working non-stop for a few years and then get burned out and pissed off ... and yeah, you get bitter about people with "normal" schedules and big vacations. So I agree ... find your happiness somewhere other than the office. You'll never be sorry you did that.