Career
In today's culture, success, recognition, and happiness are some of the many achievements the workforce wishes for. Many people base their identities on whether or not they have grasped there achievements in their jobs. Many people that have not achieved these achievements view themselves as failures to themselves as well as their families. They base their identities on their achievements. What many of these people who think they are failures do not know, is the people who have grasped these achievements are not living the perfect life many people think they are. Life is full of problems and just because someone is viewed as successful or has a lot of money does not mean they are living a fulfilled life. [Click on the link below to watch a video]
"Celebrities talk about being rich and how it has not made them happy but sometimes depressed and even sad. Cameron Diaz, Jay Z, Josh Radnor, Lady Gaga, Selina Gomez and much more celebrities are interviewed about money, fame and success and to which degree it makes them happy." This Youtube video does a great job explaining why money and success is not they key to happiness. I love the quote by Josh Radnor; he says, " I was pretty bummed to realize that rather than lessoning or eliminating my insecurities my least attractive qualities, it basically poured fertilizer on them." When Josh Radnor says this he is implying that money did not assist in his insecurities or problems. The analogy of fertilizer being poured on his problems means that his problems grew. Money made his insecurities and problems seem greater. Money added fuel to the fire. 1 Timothy 6:10a says, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." The Bible states the main idea about money being evil over 800 times. While money in itself is not bad everything from a secular to a religious point of view confirm that money will not make someone have a more fulfilled life or make problems disappear.
But I will take my chances with 40 million dollars over 40 thousand.
Many people bring up the point, they would rather take their chances of being happy, being rich than being poor. This is a very valid point and makes a lot of sense. Gary Vee talks about this point in one of his podcasts. He responds to this statement by saying, the rich guy is making the same point as the poor guy in that he would rather take his chances of being happy while being poor. The rich guy wishes he did not inherit a trust fund or make that certain amount of money. Again, this brings up the point that having money will not bring happiness. So what bring happiness or a fulfilled life?
A Successful Career is No Guarantee of Happiness.
It not uncommon for income potential and prestige to be linked with personal fulfillment. It is not uncommon for the appearance of a "perfect life" to be a goal strived after. While these things are not necessarily bad, they are not always what leads to true fulfillment. Work can be rewarding and challenging. It can also be filled with obstacles and unmet expectations. All of this is acceptable as long as your personal fulfillment is not solely tied to your career.