Does Making More Money Mean More Success?

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with my mom about the idea of success.

She said that many people, especially in America, think that the more money someone makes, the more successful they are.

She said this is because society influences us to believe that worldly success equals happiness. I was wondering what you thought? Please feel free to comment!

I’m not sure if it is a financially-oriented standard for success or if there are other variables also involved in measuring one’s success (e.g., how much influence you have on others, how happy they are, how safe they feel when they are around you, etc.).

But I agree that the money would be one of the first things we’d notice.

I think it’s a very interesting subject. I wonder what you guys have to say about it? Is it true? If so, why? And if not, why not?

I’ll start with my thoughts…

To me, when we talk about success, it means “achieving what you set out to achieve.” In most cases, with money, it would mean earning a certain amount of money.

Because people want to be successful, they want to be rich, and as long as they can get rich from doing something, they’ll do it. Most people are working in jobs that pay them well.

But then we have the “high class” who don’t need to work for money because their parents or other family members left them with a lot of it to spend. So they just work to keep the public thinking they’re doing something. But that’s a small percentage of society, so I’m not going to include them in my answer.

When most people have nothing, and their families don’t support them well enough (for example, if they have no one to take care of them in old age), they will be forced to find jobs that pay well, simply because they need the money.

If they don’t get it, they can’t take care of themselves, or no one needs to take care of them.

So I don’t believe in your standard of success. (Unless we’re talking about the filthy rich, completely happy with themselves.)

But knowing that most people want to be financially successful, let’s look at how we measure success in the world.

We measure success by how much money someone makes or what they own (SUVs, fancy cars, nice houses, jewelry, shopping bags).

I see many people nowadays coming into the world with the mindset that money equals success. And I see others who are happy with whatever they have, and if they want more, they work for it.

I think happiness is more important than material stuff (money).

But most people are too caught up in society’s standard of success to know how to be happy. They think making money will bring them happiness. And whatever they do, they feel it will bring them happiness.

But I’ve been there, and I can tell you, being successful doesn’t always make you happy. Some people have made lots of money and are completely unhappy with their lives because they don’t know how to manage it.

I know many millionaires who don’t even have the freedom to live their lives the way they want to because their money controls them.

But many people, even those who have lots of money, don’t even have that.

I have seen some billionaires who have to work all the time because they are constantly fighting for their wealth (for example, they have to give their cars and houses to charities).

And even if they’re making tonnes of money, it’s not enough for them because they want more. (They think if they buy more and more things, then all their problems will be solved one day. And they’ll never have to worry about money again! But that’s not reality.)

And then we have other people who are barely making ends meet, but they are happy.

They don’t need much to make them happy. They don’t care if they live in a tiny apartment or even a small house, so long as they can afford to buy food and a roof over their heads.

Furthermore, they don’t need expensive stuff to feel good about themselves. Furthermore, they don’t mind how they live, so long as they can be happy.

So I don’t know if that means people who have money are truly happy or that those who have no money are unhappy. And I also don’t know whether we’re supposed to be happy with what we have or if it’s okay for us to think we need more.

I’m not sure what the right answer is, but I do know that some people (not all) do get their happiness from having money and other things. They like to buy stuff because it makes them happy.

It’s just a fact of life. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but I am saying that many people don’t know how to be content and happy with what they have.

They always want more, and they’re willing to do anything. And that’s a scary prospect for me.

. . .

But that’s just my opinion. Some people might want to read the different points of view.

I believe that money isn’t the end-all-be-all of happiness from what I’ve said. But if you’re happy with what you have, I’m okay with that. But if you want more, I believe you have to earn it.

And if money doesn’t bring happiness, I’m okay with not having any because I’d rather be happy than rich.

If we’re talking about the wealthy who are completely happy in their lives, then tell me what you think about them. (I think it’s for the better if they’re happy.)

They seem to be doing okay with how they live their lives now. Is it wrong of me to think they deserve the good life?

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This post was previously published on Hello, Love.

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