Money plays a confusing role in our society today. Its most basic use is to exchange it for material things we want, whether that be a good or a service. This seems harmless. Money starts getting problematic when we blur the line between it and material goods.
All of a sudden, the money we have translates to the number of things that we own, and people begin to think that money is happiness. This is the unhealthy truth.
Our society is obsessed with "things." We want to have as many expensive things as we can so that we can show them off to our friends and feel good about it. I admit, I do get excited when I buy something that is a little nicer, but that feeling fades as quickly as it came. Then I am left with a void. I feel unfulfilled because even if I did make that money myself, all I have is a material good to show for it. Is that really worth it?
This could be why I have more than one expensive material good. Every time I feel that void, I try to fill it with another good. I know I am not the only one who does this, and I am going to make a change in my life so that I am not relying on a temporary feeling of excitement to give me longterm happiness.
This brings me to my next point. In college, I have met two major types of people in terms of career goals and life choices. One type is out following their dreams. They have had these dreams since they were young, and now they are preparing to be a doctor, engineer, producer, businessman, etcetera because they have a passion for the career and they want to pursue it. The second type of people are those who are pursuing a career simply because it pays well. Now they are preparing to be a doctor, engineer, producer, businessman, etcetera because money is the most important things on their minds. Who do you think is going to be happier?
I think it's obvious. The first type of person is going to be happier. The second type of person is never going to be satisfied with the amount of money that they have, so it's just going to be an endless desire that is never truly fulfilled. That is probably one of the saddest things I have ever heard in my life.
Money should not be your number one priority when making such important life decisions. A career should not just be a paycheck and nothing else. If it is, that is one EXPENSIVE paycheck because think of the time that you are putting into it. Time is the most valuable thing we own, and if you are going to devote so much of it to one single job, you better make the most of it.
I am a young person. I am only 19. I know that I still have a majority of my life in front of me. I just don't want to reach 60 and realize that I just spent the last 30 years of my life being miserable... for something as ridiculous as money. Even if I make it large and have billions by that time, I won't be able to spend it all. What would I spend it on? Material goods? For what purpose? It's an endless cycle.
We have one life. One chance to do it right. There's no going back. Don't waste your time being miserable!! Don't make decisions for the sole purpose of making money. Figure out what you like and go with it. You will be much happier than if you have a job that you don't like, even if it makes you more money. If everyone could just shift their focus to themselves and do things that make them truly happy, I think this world would be a better place for everyone. Everyone would be working harder and more efficiently because of it, and I think we could make even more progress than we are right now. Take a little time to think about it. What do you want?
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