Last Updated on March 4, 2024

I spent most of my adult life making money. I would work overtime and sometimes overnight. I worked full-time and tried every side hustle possible to be the next Elon Musk—most of the jobs I hated doing they were tedious and draining.

I knew one day, I would stumble upon something that would make me a billionaire. Here would come happiness and fame and glory.

Here is the problem with that lifestyle and way of thinking. I don’t have any good friends left. I didn’t bother making any meaningful connections. Because I thought they would slow me down. I’m still single at 37, and the idea of having kids and a family is gone.

Spending some time making money and exploring ideas is okay, but it all has to be balanced. I don’t know if it’s because my obsessive personality stemmed from alcohol abuse and always wanting more. Or watching how my parents lived, somehow, it developed.

I read somewhere that around the $ 60,000-a-year mark. Your happiness level doesn’t go up the more you earn. We need enough to be comfortable, not rich.

Chasing money is not the answer. The answer is chasing—the right company and friendships with meaningful connections.

Suppose you were on a deserted island with family and good friends. You wouldn’t care about anything else if you had food and a fire. You would have fun and enjoy life. Nothing else would matter.

The problem with today’s society is that we prioritize work too much and material success. Those things will never make you happy.

So, Instead of chasing the dollar bills, chase art, chase sports, heck, chase good times. When you look back on your life, you will feel more fulfilled.
Happiness doesn’t lie in the one percentile of earners. It lies in the 99 percent.

The best thing to do is find a job you enjoy doing and pays fairly. Especially if it’s your passion, you are all set. Don’t work too much, don’t work too little. In your spare time, chase things that make you happy; you will be better off this way.