Serve, Learn & Lead with Raymond Tay

Money = Happiness?

Today, I came across an article that surprised me and it was about an Austrian Millionaire, Karl Rabeder, who wants to sell away all his assets so that he can feel free & happy again.

Or click here to read more about him.

Before you read further, let me say something first. My following comments are not meant to intimidate or make him look bad. The purpose is to let us re-examine our own drivers of happiness and the meaning of wealth.

The article has led me to ask these questions: “Is money equal to happiness?” or “Getting  rich makes you happy?“ From my understanding, he seems like he is not very happy of what he is doing (e.g. doing biz – selling interior furnishings and accessories, acquiring more wealth).

He might have these beliefs: “Working is just work, nothing more.”, ”Money represents unhappiness” and “Owning luxury items can’t let you do what you love.”

Through my years of reading & learning from successful people, successful people don’t treat work as work but they are doing what they love, challenge themselves and look for opportunities to grow. Some says “WORK IS PLAY!!“. Doing biz itself also provides ample opportunities to fulfill our human needs (e.g. variety/surprises, growth, contribution). Like interacting with people, developing your creative self, learn new skills.

Can humans do nothing? No. A “Boredom” research proved something. Researchers from University College London went to study about 7,000 civil servants aged between 35 and 55 in the mid ’80s and then checked whether they had died by April 2009. They found that people who complain “high levels” of boredom in their lives were nearly 40% more likely to have died than those who did not. Reason might be turning to unhealthy habits.

Thus only through working, it makes us alive!!

Do you love money? If you say “No.”, you are merely surviving or broke. Actually, if you have been reading my previous wealth posts, you will find out more about wealth thinking. I agree to some extents that money will not bring happiness. They are just paper but they give you the right to buy more things that can led to happiness (e.g. giving roses to your lover, buying birthday cake, going for a holiday with your family). Without money, you can’t enjoy the lifestyle that you want and have to struggle day-to-day. Even helping people needs money esp. the poors.  

Of course, different people have different wealth standards (like Warren Buffett and Donald Trump will not settle being just a millionaire). Therefore, it’s important for each of us to find the right level of wealth that let us feel good and live well. Maybe Karl Rabeder wants to lower his wealth in order to match his ideal lifestyle. However, wealth can also described as a state of mind, not what you own.

Hope my sharing has led you to some real thinking about yourself and your own wealth. =)