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The Wall Street Journal recently released research on how much money people say they need to be happy. It was interesting to see the general breakdown shown based on their current income and their needed income. Almost to a T, everyone "needed" a 50% income raise, no matter their income level.
What does this tell us?
Two things:
No matter how much you earn or have, it will never be enough
The new will eventually become the baseline expectation
I love this quote from Paul in the Bible, it is from a letter he writes to a church in Philippi that he previously spent time in. First, he praises them for being so generous to him but then he says this next and I believe this is so good:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
-Philippians 4:11-13
He says he has LEARNED to be content.
Contentment is not something that we as humans naturally have. From an evolutionary perspective, being content led to your death. Being paranoid and seeking for the better thing led to the safety and well-being of you and your family. That paranoia has served our species very well. It is one of the reasons I am so bullish about the future. As long as we have people who continue needing to push the boundaries and not be comfortable with what they have. We will continue having new creations, innovations, and new things that will make my life much better.
But this is such a miserable place to be.
Think of someone like Elon Musk, he is a man who cannot be content and it has greatly benefitted us:
Tesla has single-handedly forced Electric Vehicles to be taken seriously
SpaceX changed the way we think of Space Travel and forced NASA to do things differently
Starlink is changing the way the internet is provided and making it available in the most remote places
PayPal we all know this one
But if you asked me if I wanted to be like Elon Musk, the answer is a resounding HELL NO! The same thing that pushed him to create Tesla, is the same thing that pushed him to buy Twitter and be divorced 3 times.
I could use the same example of Warren Buffett, who is known for his folksy wisdom and amazing investing insights. However; in his pursuit to push and push, the things that we will say matter are broken. His relationship with his children, he had a weird relationship with his wives.
This is not to judge but it is to point out what it costs us to desire the next thing and the next thing. It is wonderful to help us to achieve great things. But it sucks at actually allowing us to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
As Derek Thompson said, "Money is a vaccine against misery not a drug for happiness."
This does not mean that I do not push to improve grow or earn more or increase my wealth. It means that I choose not to be dependent on a need and desire for more. It means I want my happiness to not be reliant on making more money or increasing a number on a screen.
This is why my goals have changed. Rather than wanting to earn more just to earn more and believing it will make things better for me. My goal is to do as Paul said. I am learning ways to be content.
Ways to be happy with my lot in life.
Ways to enjoy the present for the gift that it is.
Ways to enjoy the blessings that the Lord has given me.
Ways to enjoy the fruits of my labor today and tomorrow.
As King Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk the face of the earth said
This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
-Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
If I never gain more than I have today. I want to be completely content with it.
And my prayer is like Solomon's:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.-Proverbs 30:7-9
Remember Generosity > greed
😤✌🏾