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Happiness is a metric of internal success. Money is a metric of external success. If money (i.e. the external, material success) played no part and it was all
by yason 12y ago
Happiness is a metric of internal success.
Money is a metric of external success.
If money (i.e. the external, material success) played no part and it was all about time you could just retire to a cabin in the forest to have all the time and none of the money till the day you die. That's because you already have time and you get more every day.
But happiness and money aren't necessary orthogonal. If you're unhappy then money can't make you happy but if you're happy, money can amplify that and make you more happy.
Money first gives you more options to do what you want but ultimately it gives you power. And power gives you leverage to change the world: first your own world and then the whole world. In other words, with money, you can do more and you're happier for that.
However, that doesn't work if you don't know what you want and you only want things to become happy.
You first need to be happy with what you have in order to be in the position where you can want more. Then you can use money the right way, almost as a beam of power to change things around. But in order to be equipped to do that you need to be on clear yourself: you already need to be happy not because of money, and you can no longer need the money to validate yourself at that point. You must have had accepted who you are because if you haven't, you can't be happy either.
- collyw 12y ago>Money first gives you more options to do what you want but ultimately it gives you power. And power gives you leverage to change the world: first your own world and then the whole world. In other words, with money, you can do more and you're happier for that. Sort of. So does time. If you have plenty of time you can learn anything. Most people have to get on with real jobs so can't devote the time to being the best guitar player in the world or whatever they would rather be.
- Swizec 12y ago> Most people have to get on with real jobs so can't devote the time to being the best guitar player in the world or whatever they would rather be. If only they had enough money so they wouldn't have to worry about those pesky jobs ...
- PSeitz 12y ago>Money first gives you more options to do what you want but ultimately it gives you power. And power gives you leverage to change the world: first your own world and then the whole world. In other words, with money, you can do more and you're happier for that. That's not how happiness works. You don't become happier because you can do something or change something with money.
- Gustomaximus 12y agoThe was an awesome write up! That said I disagree with the last paragraph on 2 points. People can know what they want whilst being unhappy. Often seeking XYZ is the source of unhappiness. Additionally there is an additional external source which is important to note; what people around you have. This is know to effect peoples happiness. If a person see's people around them with more/less this creates a level of expectation to the 'metric of success' people judge them-self by. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322092057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322092057.ht...