Money and Happiness

If you had enough money, could you buy happiness? If you had LESS money, would you be less happy? Are money and happiness even related?

The old adage “money can’t buy happiness” is usually spouted by people who can never hope to make the big bucks and are cheering themselves up. Or sometimes, by disillusioned rich people for whom no amount of money is ever enough.

Here’s my take: once you can cover your basic needs of housing, food and iTunes downloads, the amount you have left over is irrelevant to how content you feel.

Two years ago, I was making more than $100,000 a year. I was miserable.

Then I read a news story about a guy who died at his desk while proofreading medical textbooks and nobody noticed for five days. OK, so this story has been outed as an urban legend, but it is still making the rounds on the Internet because it strikes a chord with people who fear that they are spending their lives in meaningless, mind-numbing pursuits in exchange for money.

It certainly woke ME up. I had a lot of job stress, little room for creativity, and no longer found any meaning in what I was doing. My job was thankless, soul-destroying, and tic-inducing, and I stayed there too long because the money was good and subsidized the pursuit of my first love –writing this column.

Then I read the fake story about the man who died at his desk and decided on the spot that I wouldn’t end up that way. I was not going to keel over onto my keyboard while editing a press release about an upcoming bond measure.

Keeper, who had more than once scraped me off the floor after a particularly trying day in my dysfunctional workplace, was supportive of my decision to reclaim my life. We started preparing for our reduced lifestyle. We re-financed the house to lower the payment, we contracted out some needed home repairs while we still had an income to pay for them, and we learned to eat at home more often than gong out.

Today, a full year after I left, I am 47 percent poorer and 97 percent happier, unscientifically speaking.

It’s not just ditching my job that has made the difference. It is a real appreciation for the freedom I now have to be creative and follow my passion for urging people to lighten up.  If I am very fortunate, I will be able to earn my living doing what I love and what I believe in.

Mahatma Gandhi, who never appeared on any “World’s Wealthiest” list, understood the secret to happiness. “Happiness,” he said,”is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Notice he didn’t say it’s when what you earn exceeds what you think you need to buy.