Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness 🤡
“Money doesn’t buy happiness” is one of the most misleading phrases in our vocabulary today. What is it meant to do, discourage us from attaining wealth? Find satisfaction in poverty? I understand the spirit of the saying equates to “don’t expect money to make your life perfect,” but have you seen what money does in America?
Money is what decides whether you’ll live in a hovel or a mansion.
Oh, but money doesn’t buy happiness.
Money determines whether you eat ramen for dinner or a five-star meal. In extreme circumstances, it determines whether you eat at all.
But really, money doesn’t buy happiness!
Money also decides whether you can go get that college degree, or wear nicer clothes, or even provide for your loved ones like children or grandparents.
Is it really no wonder why folks equate money with buying happiness?
A Personal – and Systemic – Problem
My way out of my Year of Fear was to amass enough money for assuring my independence, and also to distance myself from my bad childhood. Money is the way to a worry-free life with the power it wields in my country – for many, including me, a worry-free life is, in fact, happiness. I know that, barring some outrageous catastrophe, I will never find myself in that hole of debt/bankruptcy/financial woe ever again.
But I’m the exception to the unspoken rule in America. There are so many others out there who are still struggling in that hole and they’re getting bullshit advice instead of actionable guidance. For decades this kept snowballing until it became the behemoth issue we have to deal with today. Our biggest issues as a country – underemployment, unfair taxation, lack of retirement savings, student debt, bad healthcare, and environmental degradation – are directly connected to economic and monetary shortfalls.
Here’s a good metaphor: I tell someone “man, I really need to get to this place faster”. They tell me “oh just ride a bike there!” Fair enough, except I don’t know how to ride a bike. How do I keep my balance? What are the traffic laws about riding a bike? Who can teach me how to actually take advantage of bikes? That advice won’t help me if I don’t know how to ride a bike; it won’t help me if I don’t know how to learn to ride a bike.
Telling someone “man I really need to save money” is the same thing. I can tell you “oh just change your mindset” but that’s not going to help you if you don’t know how to do that. Not owning up to your own luck also doesn’t help. Sometimes your parents will teach you how to ride a bike; some might even by cycling enthusiasts and teach you so much that you’re much farther ahead on the subject than your average kid. Sometimes they don’t teach you about any of it, whether they’re uncomfortable about the subject of bikes or are reluctant to teach you or just don’t know enough about it themselves. It’s the same with money.
Here’s the difference: I CAN teach you about money, right here on this blog.
It Will Be Hard, But We’re Going to Make It
Money is two things to me: a tool and a stress reliever. Money itself hasn’t made me happy, just like the wrenches in my garage don’t make me happy. But both are tools that make my life much easier when I use them for their intended purpose. And as a stress reliever… wow. I’m absent of so much stress: no time constraints, people like me, comfortable home, food in the pantry. Money has helped me relax deeply. And that state of existence is almost impossible to beat.
The system has failed you. There’s no way around it. Since we can’t rely on the system, you’ll need another way to get yourself out of that hold. Here is where I’ll teach you a good way to do that. Take the lessons here and tailor them to your situation. Get that money. Start investing. Get more value from your budget. Live a happier life.
You want to dig yourself out of poverty? Consider this your shovel.