Recently I heard someone say to me, “Money won’t make you happy but it won’t make you sad either”. While a lot of people could argue me on this, I do not think this is true. I am a firm believer that money is not nor never will be a source of happiness. And even though it’s said that it won’t make you sad either, I think that’s just a bunch of BS. Even though it's often thought that being wealthy is the most important thing, I disagree and I'm not obsessed with being rich.
The media seems to be one of the huge problems with why people are so crazed over their bank accounts. The Kardashians for example, thrive off of money. Their show is centered around their clothes, expensive vacations, and excessively large houses. Without it they wouldn’t even be famous. Millions of people tune in to watch Kim Kardashian cry over losing a diamond earring that she could replace with a phone call. My question is...well, are they really happy? Many celebrities suffer from depression and other mental illnesses when they could have any material thing in the world. This goes to show that despite the saying of money won't make you sad, it's proven that you can have everything and nothing at the same time.
Another topic I often hear among people is, "I won't be happy until after I get blank". To me, this just sounds like a big life cycle of chasing. So you're telling me you physically will not be happy until you attain the material item that you're fantasizing over at the moment? Whether you have the designer purse, the 60 inch TV or the dream vacation it will never define your state of mental health. Let's not forget that happiness isn't a destination, it's a mood. In fact, it's impossible to be happy 100% of the time. So if you live your life based on the newest expensive item that you're craving, you're going to be upset a lot of the time. Your temporary obsessions physically cannot and shouldn't control your permanent well being.
I know what you're thinking. "People who don't care about being rich or nice things are just poor or lazy". Not exactly. Don't get me wrong here, this doesn't mean that I don't want to be successful. I work hard for my GPA and future every day. However, I refuse to let what I have define my success. Of course I want to be stable and take care of myself, but I don't need a Porsche to prove that. In fact, I don't need to prove anything to anyone at all and that's something I feel strongly about.
I will admit I too was once obsessed with the rich life because well, who isn’t? That was until I took a step back and found my happiness in other places. A yacht, multiple houses and all brand name clothes might seem like the perfect life but that’s closing you off to the true beauty of the world. One of the best times of my life was spent in a tent in the middle of nowhere in Florida surviving off a bag of Tostitos with my best friends. We had nothing, but we didn’t care. Happiness comes from the company that you keep. Value isn’t on a price tag it’s where you decide to put it. Don’t miss out because you overlooked the so called “lesser” things in life, they might surprise you.