Money is Not Everything

[SteveO]

I am in the process of reading the book "The Power of Now". There were a couple of recommendations here on the forum. So far this book matches up with the direction and philosophy that I am working towards in life.

I just came across this passage that talks about future vs. present time. It is relevant to this discussion. A lot of this book is dedicated to this topic and this paragraph is just a tiny piece.

"If you are dissatisfied with what you have got, or even frustrated or angry about your present lack, that may motivate you to become rich, but even if you do make millions, you will continue to experience the inner condition of lack, and deep down you will continue to feel unfulfilled. You may have many exciting experiences that money can buy, but they will always leave you with an empty feeling and the need for further physical or psychological gratification. You won't abide in Being and so feel the fullness of life now that alone is true prosperity."

This supports my thoughts that if you are unhappy now, you will continue to be unhappy when you have money. Money can buy pleasure and great experiences but it takes you to change your state of mind.

We have some great examples of happiness from @Vigilante and @MJ DeMarco . They are exceptional people though. All you need to do is look at their posts on this forum to see their feelings, thoughts, and philosophy on life. They work on themselves also. The focus is not simply on money.

In fact, I see that most people on this forum are different.

Making money is great! I work toward the same goal as all of us that are part of this group. But I still feel that a cranky a**hole with no money will continue to be a cranky a**hole with money. Unless they work on themselves.

 

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[Guest]

"If you are dissatisfied with what you have got, or even frustrated or angry about your present lack, that may motivate you to become rich, but even if you do make millions, you will continue to experience the inner condition of lack, and deep down you will continue to feel unfulfilled. You may have many exciting experiences that money can buy, but they will always leave you with an empty feeling and the need for further physical or psychological gratification. You won't abide in Being and so feel the fullness of life now that alone is true prosperity."

This!! /\/\/\ I think you just summarized this whole discussion with this passage. We all agree money is a tool, a means to an end. The end is having variety, options, and choices which equals freedom, and freedom makes us happy.

But a person must be happy with what they have now, they must enjoy the process in the attainment of money, and money rightfully earned is a whole lot more valuable and enjoyed.

 

[mowealth]

Every time I drive my dream car that I bought a few years ago, I become a kid again, because it is a possession I've wanted for as long as I can remember. It gives me that feeling that hard work surely does pay off, because there have been a lot of ups and downs (like in any business) but once you persist nothing can stop you. Yes, there are new inventions to replace the old every single day, but this specific vehicle has value to me and not because of its brand or quality but because it's a reminder that "whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve"

and finally

"Money may or may not buy you happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable"

 

[Kid Money]

Did his wealthy parents afford the car or did he scratch and claw his way to be able to afford it? Of course the value he places on something he didnt earn is less than the normal person. I know many people on both sides of the equation. Without a shadow of a doubt the people who came from nothing like myself look at the things they possess in a whole different light. That cant be argued. Every time I look at my vehicles/possessions I always ask myself the question "Damn, how many hours did I work hard at getting that". People put a skewed emphasis on money too much. Its simple. MONEY runs planet earth and if you think otherwise you are totally in denial. Is it everything? Absolutely not. When I take vacations around the world and my old friends who think money is evil are stuck mopping floors, who do you think is smiling and optimistic about their future?

Remind me again where the confusion is?

 

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[100k]

OP is 100% right. Money won't bring you happiness. If you want happiness then you have to give up money .. thats just the way the world works. Sorry guys.

Now if anyone would like to be happy kindly send me a message I'll let you know my paypal and you can send me all of your money, and in return you should feel happy in 2-4 working days.

Thanks

 

[NoahSK]

Money in this day of age is required for happiness on so many levels.

 

[twdavis]

Another Gene Simmons quote:

"Anyone who says they don't want or need any more money in their life is a LIAR. Be suspicious of this person."


Like @100k said:

Take all the money you don't want and kindly
initiate a payment in the amount of that money to my LLC's Paypal account and we'll both be happy.
[emoji16]

 

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[zr1]

Maybe I may be in the minority, but the more money I make and save from my Fastlane business, the less I really want. Instant gratification doesn't kick in as it use to and I really enjoy watching the money grow.

With that said, I still enjoy nice things. I am expecting my brand new Lamborghini Huracan in a few months which I will pay in cash. Being able to walk into a dealership and just order something without blinking is a great feeling.

Thank you MJ for the encouragement over the years. It paid off

 

[vinylawesome]

Not a surprise.. Another Billionaire that represents the Fastlane ideal's.

Jack Ma: "Well the MBA Schools, A lot of business schools. They teach a
lot of skills about making money on wrong business.

... If you want to run business you need to run value first.

To serve the others. Help the others. That's the key!

Because one thing We believe. If you think about making money and this eye is U.S. Dollar and this
eye is the Japanese yen and we talk all about Hong Kong Dollars.

Nobody want to make friends with these people and you will never make money.

To think about how can I help people. Create Value for the others.

And then you will get the money."

 

[biophase]

Here's an example of how money made me more comfortable, but not necessarily happy.

About 3 years ago I went to Prague on a study abroad program. During this trip me and about 6 other students decided to take a weekend trip to Budapest by train. The other students ranged from 19-24 years old and were all in college. They were on a tight budget as they did not have much money to make this trip work. So we got the cheapest train tickets from Prague to Budapest. We booked a hostel which was $35 for the night for everyone for a room.

We arrived at the Budapest train station around midnight. We forgot to exchange cash so we had no Hungarian dollars and all the places to exchange money were closed. Our hostel was about 1.5 miles away. They all wanted to walk because they did not have any money let alone want to pay for a taxi. Keep in mind we all had luggage (roller carry-ons). So we walked down the streets of Budapest, each rolling along our suitcases on the cobblestone sidewalks to the hostel arriving at around 1:30am. Everyone made it fine, we passed a few questionable bums sleeping on the street. Maybe made a few wrong turns. It was a pretty memorable night.

I bring this story up because I knew that at anytime, if I wanted, I could resolve this issue. I could have gotten a taxi and paid whatever was needed to get us to the hostel. Heck, If it got too shady, I could have even said, forget the hostel, it's too far, let's just go to this 4 star hotel in front of us, I'll pay for all the rooms. I remember thinking that this was a fun adventure, but I could resolve it with one swipe of a credit card. That is always a nice feeling. That is the comfort feeling that money can give you in your day to day life (except in cases of health).

Edit: BTW, I just wanted to follow up on this post and say that when I went to Prague, I consciously decided to spend this time as a college student. I wanted to go back to the times where we opened up a menu and decided the place was too expensive and left. Or we walked or took the bus instead of taxis.

I really love going places where I can not USE my money, where the perspective of money is gone. Examples of this are trips to remote places, camping, hiking, etc... During those moments it really does not matter how much money you have. It can't save you, you don't have that get out of a jam card in your back pocket.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Tagged Notable (As well as a few others.)

 

[Weaponize]

Tagged Notable (As well as a few others.)

@MJ DeMarco - Thank you for tagging and bumping this thread! I just now finished reading through it. What a wonderful discussion full of differing opinions on such an important topic. Such great perspectives to absorb and learn from... It's a humbling read...

@Zen Focus - Thank you for starting this discussion, and to everyone else who contributed to it!