neither money nor lack will make you happy

We all have different opinions about money. Some think money is a blessing and a lifesaver, while some think money is a curse and evil. 

Money is a funny thing. It’s an important part of our day to day life, but it’s not everything. When we don’t have money, we start thinking once we have it, we’ll finally be happy. And when we do get rich and have money, we start looking for something else — we want more out of ourselves and our life. 

We all know somewhere in our minds and our hearts that money won’t help us buy happiness. However, we ignore this truth as we get busy in the daily grind. 

We are conditioned and incubated, unfortunately, in a society and culture, where our eyes and ears are constantly exposed to lies. And the sad part is that we start believing in them. As the law of propaganda, often attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels, goes, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” We start believing that the key to happiness is buying expensive cars, houses, cool gadgets, traveling to far-flung destinations and collecting stuff, but this is far from the truth. 

The same applies to us though if we decide to go in the complete opposite direction and start living a life of deprivation and lack. Living in poverty is no way to become happy, it simply makes us more miserable and frustrated. 

So how do we get in touch with the happiness within? How do we live a joyous life? By living a life of moderation and designing a lifestyle that mirrors our core values and our most important priorities. As Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus write, “You see, there’s nothing inherently wrong with money, just as there’s nothing innately wrong with material possessions or working a 9-to-5. We all need some stuff, and we all have to pay the bills. It’s when we put money and possessions first, and we lose sight of our real priorities. When we lose sight of life’s purpose.”

There’s no denying that money can enhance different areas of our life whether it be health, relationships, personal growth, or contribution, but the number of digits in our bank account doesn’t determine the magnitude of joy in our life. We become happy when we master the delicate art of personal alignment, when our pursuits are meaningful and reflect our values, our beliefs and our long-term goals.