Everybody already has heard those sayings at least once. They say that “you can’t buy what your heart needs” or “things can be bought but feeling can’t” and of course the famous “money can’t buy happiness”.
But it seems to me that often enough, those people didn’t experience the whole being poor thing or it’s been so long for them, they can’t remember the feelings around the delicate subject. It got me thinking.
Is it true that money can’t make us happy ? What having money can give us ?
Being myself poor and unjokingly proud to come from a poor family growing up, I understand the value of money, the good but also the bad that it can bring. But now, as I am trying to get into the job market, I am also realizing what I knew all along. Finding a job is hard. Life is expensive if I want to live in modern society. Society that base success rate depending on your level of consumerism. Therefore having money is the goal to have a better life. So there’s a lot of different things to consider in order to think whether or not money will make us happy.
For example, I am trying to provide for myself, independently. And like most independent millennial, I am simply broke.
That’s just the way it is. We are suppose to struggle, to learn, to grow, to experience on our way to adulthood.
And like most of us out there, we are trying to hurry ourselves to live life. Stressing about the things we heard in a couple of years will be the ones that we should enjoy and take it in because it is just a phase and it is going to be ok.
Meanwhile, we barely have anything and, let’s not even talk about regular incomes but somehow, we manage to be able to travel, to see things our imaginations couldn’t even start to think of and we experience life to hopefully become more open-minded that before we start a new adventure.
Because we are adventurers. This generation is bold, crafty and sly.
And like all twenty something, we are trying to have the time of our life before settling down later and not having anymore freedom.
We do have responsibilities but not as much as the real adults do. Let’s face it.
So on our route to Up There, we are trying to ‘have fun’, ‘live the life’ or ‘party until we are really done’. And for that, we need money. In that case scenario, having money will be our way to happiness.
Even now, as I am talking to you, being on the other side of the quarter of century, having to check the Other Box that makes us realize we need to seriously think about our future. Being able to pay for a home, not having to scratch quarters to be able to buy food or a drink, having real life problems like bills and being able to afford them… For those reasons, having money seems like something that will bring me peace of mind.
Entering a store and take a dress, a pair of shoes or a new work uniform without having to have to remember or wonder if I have enough in my bank account to permit this pleasure. Not going out with friends because we can’t afford it, nor with family that will think less of you not being able to handle the young adult that you are. Forget about dating and invest myself into something other than my survival needs. How could I care about someone else when I can’t even take care of myself ?
But everything is going to be fine. I need to attack and resolve one problem at the time. Now is being able to provide for myself. That involves making money, having an income and secure that money that I will hardly get.
So now, right this second ?
Yes. Money will make me very happy.
And I hope in a future article, I will tell you that money is nice but not what all it is about, that there is more to it and that it is a way to get to happiness.
But for now, I will enjoy working hard and getting those dollars.
Travel Life With Vân 