A poor person is usually the one who says “money can’t buy happiness” or “money is the root to all evil”. Many poor people make the aforementioned statements to justify why they are broke. Putting a negative connotation on being rich justifies their lack of fortitude, creativity and ambition to build wealth. Stay away from these type of people at all cost. You cannot afford to let someone else’s scarcity mindset infiltrate your subconscious mind. I affirm that material possessions such as cars, clothes, homes and jewelry will not give you long-term fulfilment. Material belongings are just the icing on the cake of what money can provide. The core of what money can provide is freedom and tranquility. Having freedom and a calmness of mind sets the foundation for happiness. No one can have absolute happiness until they have complete freedom. The only thing more important is good health.
Thomas Jefferson understood the importance of freedom when he drafted the Declaration of Independence which states “Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Thomas Jefferson even had the order correct. You achieve Life (good health), obtain Liberty (freedom), and then you can pursue the highest level of contentment.
Thomas Jefferson wanted America to be free from Great Britain, but the modern day nonconformist has a different type of independence to fight for. Having wealth is what can give you freedom from spending more than half of your life in servitude. When you are wealthy you can fire the deranged boss who makes your blood pressure spike. Your happiness level rises significantly when you are not obligated to show up and be around people you can’t trust or don’t like for 8 hours a day.
I believe the masses of white collar employees actually don’t mind the work they do. Most of them have not found their true calling in life so their fancy job titles gives them a sense of pride and identity. Most professional jobs are not very laborious either. The average employee spends about half of his or her day chitchatting at the water cooler, surfing the internet, smoking cigarettes and consuming junk food.
Probably the biggest reason over 80% of people abhor their job is because of their untrustworthy colleagues and psycho managers drunk off power. I believe dealing with devious coworkers and bosses is the biggest source of job dissatisfaction. If you currently get along with everyone at your job site then you are in the lucky minority, but I guarantee that you will hit the lunatic boss/coworker lottery sooner or later.
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Rich people are not obligated to work with problematic individuals. Warren Buffet loves his work. He stated that one of the biggest reason he keeps working well into his 80s is because he enjoys his associates. Buffet has enough wealth to hand pick colleagues who share a similar vision, work ethic and personality. Working is enjoyable when you have the option to choose who you do business with. Work on what you want, when you want, with who you want, and when you want. You actually never retire when you have control the what, when, who and where. Getting rich is mainly about controlling the 4 W’s and not about laying on the beach sipping margaritas everyday. That would get boring after a while and you would lose your sharpness after being mentally stagnant for so long. You will probably live longer if you stay active in your passion as long as you have total control (AKA you are the Boss). You will have your purpose to look forward to every morning when you get out of bed. As long as you have a stable healthy mind, you should always share your unique gifts with the world.
People are a lot happier when they don’t have to worry about the bank foreclosing on their house or having to park their car in different places to keep the repo man from finding it. An abundance of Money gives you peace of mind. It’s difficult to enjoy anything without a calm state of mind. Many people say that the happiest day of their life is when their child was born. How soon would the euphoria wear off if there is not sufficient money to properly feed, clothe and house the baby? The sentiment of joy would dissipate rapidly followed by anxiety and despair.
Happiness is also all about experiencing breathe taking moments in your life. Money will usually play a huge role in your life’s most memorable experiences. The majority of memorable experiences such as vacations, weddings, professional sporting events, graduations, family reunions, holidays and concerts are not free. The more money you are able to infuse into the aforementioned events, the more exciting and unforgettable the experience will be. It’s a much more exhilarating experience when you can pay to sit in the front row at your favorite singer’s concert than to sit high up in the nose bleed section. It’s 10 times more exciting when you are able to afford tickets to watch the Super Bowl live in person than to watch it from your living room sofa eating a bag of Doritos. What about weddings? Currently the average wedding cost is around $30,000. Would you be happier driving a brand new Porsche or an 8 year old mustang with 120,000 miles? When I drive by a golf course at 8 am on a Tuesday, I see wealthy people playing golf while the masses are stuck in rush hour traffic praying to get to work on time. It’s not hard to tell who is happier.
Many people find pleasure from participating in sports and hobbies. Golf, tennis, cycling, hunting, bowling, deep sea fishing, etc. Recreational activities are not free. I knew a guy whose hobby was flying remote control helicopters. Every time he crashed his toy helicopter it cost $500 in repairs. His helicopter would take a nose dive at least once a week. You have to pay to play.
Anyone who says money doesn’t buy happiness is fooling themselves. Does it solve every problem? Of course not. You cannot pay somebody to eat healthy food and exercise for you. Healthy living is a matter of discipline that comes from within. Another issue is that some family and so called friends will become annoying freeloaders once you gain wealth. It’s ok to be generous but you must be strong enough to immediately cut relentless leeches out of your life. A lot rich celebrities people went broke because they never learned how to say “no”. These people do not have your best interest at heart. Money does not change people, it merely exposes them for who they really are. This is ok because you will begin to attract a higher class of more enlightened people as your economic status elevates. It’s lonely at the top but the air is fresher and the view is amazing. Wealth has produced a lot more happiness than poverty ever has.