39. Money can only buy you so much happiness

I used to think that the main metric for success and happiness is how much money I make.

I’m always hungry for success. And back then, that means making as much money as possible. That’s why I spent a lot of time on money-making courses and even fell for one of those get-rich-quick schemes.

My perception slowly changed after reading a study about the happiness tipping point. It says, once you are able to provide daily necessities, any extra income will not make you any happier.

Sure, money is an important tool that provides you access to many things in life. But that should remain as its function. As a tool, a mean to an end. Not the end. Humans are wired to be dissatisfied with what they have. So the happiness that we buy with money will never last. We will always ask for more and therefore want to make more.

So what should we pursue instead? Things that are bigger than material success. Growth, benevolence, relationships, experiences, knowledge, innovation, making someone happy. Things that will create long-lasting values for you, people you care about and the world.

Understanding this has allowed me to make better decisions in life. Instead of just going where the money is, I assign more points to opportunities that allow me to do more of the things that fulfil me.

So don’t aim to be rich. Aim to enrich your life and others’.