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Since the concept of money started to be used thousands of years ago, most people without a great deal of money have assumed that having a lot of it would make them happy. While it is certainly no fun to be poor, is money really a cure-all for all of the curves that life throws at us on a daily basis? The Beatles famously said that money can't buy you love, but can it buy happiness?
Money is a tool
People have a tendency to equate money with freedom and security. However, this is a lie. Money by itself will not make a miserable person into a person who jumps out of bed every day with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. It is important to remember that money is simply a tool. If used wisely, it is possible to enhance your life and bring some joy into it. The real reason that a person should strive to become wealthy is so they can help to make the lives of the people they care about better, while also creating the life that they want. People should also consider leaving a lasting legacy that they can be proud of and will benefit future generations.
Currency
The word currency is derived from the word "current", as in the flow of electricity through a conductor. When a person learns to properly manage their money wisely to serve their interests and the interests of others, it is the same as using electricity productively. People with money are basically transformers that society's currency flows through. After a person is able to achieve a moderate income, there has never been any conclusive evidence to definitively show that a person becomes happier as he or she becomes more wealthy. How the person chooses to use their money is usually the factor that determines their level of happiness.
Happiness from luxury items won't last
So if money is not the answer, how does a person actually achieve happiness? The first thing that a person needs to do is achieve a lifestyle that is stable. Once you are able to provide yourself and your family with the basic human needs of food, shelter, clothing and transportation, you can then start to focus on some ways that your extra money can enhance the lives of you and those around you. However, even if you buy that fancy watch or that shiny Italian sports car, it is important for people to realize that expensive items will not increase their happiness, at least not in the long run.
Helping others is true happiness
While a person can gain a temporary amount of pleasure and satisfaction from buying various luxury items, this feeling will fade in a short period of time. Longer lasting happiness can instead be gained from using your resources to enhance the lives of the people you care about who are not as fortunate as you. Financial success is truly a blessing when it can make a difference in a person's life. For example, instead of buying a new car when you already have five in your garage, use that money to pay for a poor child's college education. Doing something like this will have multiple benefits. Not only will you get the personal satisfaction of helping a young person achieve their dream of going to college, you can give the child's family the same happiness you are feeling. Also, this happiness will last a long time, as you watch the child progress through college.
The good life
People often fall victim to the idea that people who are wealthy financially are living the "good life", as if it is impossible for somebody who is not wealthy to have a rich and rewarding life. It is a mistake to simply judge a person's wealth only in financial terms. If you are healthy and have friends and family who love you, is this not another kind of wealth?
A lasting legacy
Making money is great, but its what you do with it after you earn it that truly matters. Billionaires such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who have committed to donating their fortunes to charity after they die, understand what an amazing and lasting legacy their vast amounts of money can create. It is from this knowledge that they will experience true happiness.
Foto: © Sergey Nivens - Fotolia.com
Editor, 07/17/2014
