This blog post is written in a slightly different style as an experiment. Although my writing is naturally conversational, I have written this post so it emulates the back and forth nature of verbal communication.
There is a saying that money doesn't buy you happiness, but I would argue, under certain circumstances, that it in fact does. I understand that this is just a saying — and therefore it is not black and white, and can only be applied in certain situations — but I would like to discuss the idea that money can actually bring you happiness with the right mindset.
It is possible that having too much money can work to your detriment, because that in itself can lead to issues such as addiction and bankruptcy (I'm not saying that it will, just that it could). There is also the point that if you had enough money not to work, would you find yourself bored because you have nothing to occupy yourself with.
I know that's a bizarre thing to say to most people when they consider their day jobs, because there is ‘so much that we would rather be doing’. Broadly speaking, if you look at your job, it is a way of earning money. It gives you purpose; gives you somewhere else to be other than in your mind. That purpose and sensor belonging can go a long way — and, if we're not careful, we can take that for granted. I am guilty of this myself, and know that it is much easier said than done. So, theoretically, having too much money can take away this sense of purpose. And so, you can see how the mental health struggles would begin to stack up quite quickly.
Having said that, money can give you opportunity. Think of it being like ‘it's not what you know, it's who you know’. If you have lots of money, you're more likely to come into contact with people who also have lots of money. That in itself is likely to bring a substantial opportunities along the way. So, it is not the money itself that changes us or our circumstances — for the better or worse — it is the symbolism of actually having the money.
Do you have many dreams? You can fulfil them. You want help people? You can, and in a big and sustainable way. That is if money is used in the right way. If I came into a large sum of money, I would want to help people. I would want to help myself, but I would want to help people. Having more money actually solves a lot of problems. It relieves stress, and relieving that stress can restore your happiness. Not everybody is lucky enough to be financially stable — and if nothing else — coming into a lot of money would relieve that stress.
Having more money simply gives you more options. If we bring it down to a more individualistic view, you want to travel to Scotland, for example, and you suddenly cannot drive. In theory you are stuck where you started — however, if you have the money, you can afford to take the train and buy tickets at any time of the day in order to get the next train, and get to your destination. Do you see how — using that analogy — life would very quickly become a little easier, as you don't have to consider everything to such extreme detail? There are other options — should immediate options begin to fail. Again, it links back to more money relieving stress of all kinds. However, as we discussed at the beginning, it doesn't make everything perfect. It doesn't make life perfect, because life is not perfect. Whatever our situation, there are things that could be improved.
And now for the more playful side of things. If I had lots of money, I would be able to be at full-time writer, and it wouldn't necessarily matter how many Books I sold (if we're looking at it purely from the financial stability side of things). Essentially, I would not be relying on my books to survive. If I had money, I could buy more books in support of authors like me. If I had money, I might be able to streamline my publishing and writing process even further — such as hiring an editor. So then I literally have to focus on the writing and producing of the work. Don't get me wrong I enjoy doing everything in the process of self-publishing, it is just a consideration of what I may or may not do, should I come into more money. It all goes to prove that coming into any money is beneficial, compared to feeling as though you're just getting by, for example. It adds an extra layer of texture to your life — and that should not be underestimated. However, I do understand that money does not bring us all happiness because it does not solve everything. As I said, life is not perfect.
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