5 ms·

This is totally not at the same scale, but still applicable. Coming from am immigrant family, jumping from 20k a year to 150k @ the age of 20 felt to me like i

by weq 10y ago

This is totally not at the same scale, but still applicable. Coming from am immigrant family, jumping from 20k a year to 150k @ the age of 20 felt to me like i had made it. I traded in my civic for a sports car, bought a house, all the whisky a young man could want etc etc. Did i feel content? At first. Happier? At first. Then the realisation that there will always be someone wealthier dawned apon me. Those people work longer, harder, have more pressure, responsibility and usually dont even have the time to enjoy their wealth. Managing wealth? You do stupid shit like getting into more debt to try and "save money from the tax man". The more money u earn, the more money u spend, the more stress u have. I quite my job 8 years later, sold everything and travelled the world for 2 years, trying lifestyles i never imagined. In the far reaches of the amazonian rainforst where i vonunteered to help study the pink dolphins, I saw the poorest people were actually the happiest people. They had "nothing", but everything at the same time. Everywhere i went this was true. All my ailments that followed me while i was in civialisation suddenly dissapeared. Did they suffer from depression? nup. Poverty? from the outside we assume this was a bad word, but at the ground level, nup. If u live in a place that provides u with everything u need natually, u dont need money. That was just 1 experience of many. Everyday was saturday and i had a purpose - looking for the meaning of life. I found it everywhere i looked, and money was never part of the equation. So now im back; i love coding. Im already living the dream. I dont choose work based on pay, i choose it based on my moral compass. What did i discover? Well i think the meaning of life is a little different for everybody, but at our core, its love, connections, and experiences. No matter how much money you have, you cant buy the above. http://www.avvx62.dsl.pipex.com/boto/br_about.htm http://www.avvx62.dsl.pipex.com/boto/br_about.htm

n4r9 10y ago
I also pick jobs based on my moral compass, but I reckon it's a lot harder than it would be if I'd been making 150+k for 8 years.
Existenceblinks 10y ago
> poorest people were actually the happiest people I saw this sentence like hundreds of times and completely disagree. How did you know that deep inside their mind? I bet I can manage wealth and be happier than being poor. Give me just $50M please that's enough. Me also coming from immigrants family during Vietnam War, and live in Thailand.
developer2 10y ago
Points of note from your comment: >> stupid shit like getting into more debt >> The more money u earn, the more money u spend, the more stress u have The key to more happiness for anyone who is not dirt poor is to live with the means of someone 1-3 tax brackets below. If you make $100k/year, live as though you only make $60-70k. If you make $300k, live like you make $120k. It really is that simple. Stop trying to attain the "next lifestyle bracket", because it will NEVER "be enough". You will be miserable your entire life, trying to scrape your way to the "next level". "Unfulfilling" does not begin to describe that path. I used to pay $1300/month rent, with a $700/month car financing, a $120 internet package, etc. I now live in a cheaper neighborhood with $640 rent, gave up the car (ie: $0/month financing), with $40 internet, etc. I went from $40k in debt and $0 savings account 3 years ago to $0 debt and 5-digit savings today. The difference in quality of life that makes on a day-to-day basis is enormous. Forget the white picket fence and the $50k+ car. Nobody gives a crap where you live or what you drive - including yourself, whether you believe that or not. Live somewhere with great public transit or, if you really need - not want - a car, buy used for $500-$2,000 that gets you from point A to point B. Stop trying to impress people with your lifesteal. Live cheap, and use the incredible amount of disposable income to lead a happier life.
- yakshaving_jgt 10y ago
  > Nobody gives a crap where you live or what you drive - including yourself. Nope. Cars are one of my passions in life. I love driving my sports car. It's not about impressing people either. I don't understand why nerds _never_ understand this.
  - smileysteve 10y ago
    Because for every person passionate about sports cars (I track mine) there are 5x as many killing the clutch as they drive circles through traffic in their murcielago.
  - developer2 10y ago
    Of the four people I know who make < $120k/year who are paying $1,000+/month to finance a > $60k car, only one of them is a real "car enthusiast" who does it for himself. The other three are trying way too hard to prove that they are living the rich life. They don't give a single damn about the car; their only concern in the world is that other people notice they have an expensive car. If owning an expensive car is what brings someone personal joy, I'm all for that. When a friend tells me he can't come watch a movie with me or come on a cheap local road trip because he's behind on his car payments, and he says it with a depressed facial expression that clearly shows regret for the car... yeah. I don't know how else to take that other than "stupid life decisions". And no, I don't drop my jaw in awe over their car - I just see them as a moron who has misplaced priorities.

by weq 10y ago

n4r9 10y ago

I also pick jobs based on my moral compass, but I reckon it's a lot harder than it would be if I'd been making 150+k for 8 years.

Existenceblinks 10y ago

> poorest people were actually the happiest people I saw this sentence like hundreds of times and completely disagree. How did you know that deep inside their mind? I bet I can manage wealth and be happier than being poor. Give me just $50M please that's enough. Me also coming from immigrants family during Vietnam War, and live in Thailand.

developer2 10y ago

Points of note from your comment: >> stupid shit like getting into more debt >> The more money u earn, the more money u spend, the more stress u have The key to more happiness for anyone who is not dirt poor is to live with the means of someone 1-3 tax brackets below. If you make $100k/year, live as though you only make $60-70k. If you make $300k, live like you make $120k. It really is that simple. Stop trying to attain the "next lifestyle bracket", because it will NEVER "be enough". You will be miserable your entire life, trying to scrape your way to the "next level". "Unfulfilling" does not begin to describe that path. I used to pay $1300/month rent, with a $700/month car financing, a $120 internet package, etc. I now live in a cheaper neighborhood with $640 rent, gave up the car (ie: $0/month financing), with $40 internet, etc. I went from $40k in debt and $0 savings account 3 years ago to $0 debt and 5-digit savings today. The difference in quality of life that makes on a day-to-day basis is enormous. Forget the white picket fence and the $50k+ car. Nobody gives a crap where you live or what you drive - including yourself, whether you believe that or not. Live somewhere with great public transit or, if you really need - not want - a car, buy used for $500-$2,000 that gets you from point A to point B. Stop trying to impress people with your lifesteal. Live cheap, and use the incredible amount of disposable income to lead a happier life.

yakshaving_jgt 10y ago
> Nobody gives a crap where you live or what you drive - including yourself. Nope. Cars are one of my passions in life. I love driving my sports car. It's not about impressing people either. I don't understand why nerds _never_ understand this.
- smileysteve 10y ago
  Because for every person passionate about sports cars (I track mine) there are 5x as many killing the clutch as they drive circles through traffic in their murcielago.
- developer2 10y ago
  Of the four people I know who make < $120k/year who are paying $1,000+/month to finance a > $60k car, only one of them is a real "car enthusiast" who does it for himself. The other three are trying way too hard to prove that they are living the rich life. They don't give a single damn about the car; their only concern in the world is that other people notice they have an expensive car. If owning an expensive car is what brings someone personal joy, I'm all for that. When a friend tells me he can't come watch a movie with me or come on a cheap local road trip because he's behind on his car payments, and he says it with a depressed facial expression that clearly shows regret for the car... yeah. I don't know how else to take that other than "stupid life decisions". And no, I don't drop my jaw in awe over their car - I just see them as a moron who has misplaced priorities.