Money is misleading happiness Source-Focus on

yourself
Sanjay Srivastava
When we are infants, we do not know anything about desire, yet we cry. We smile and laugh seeing
any object or people but when we become a small kid, cry of getting chocolates and toffees. We get
very happy even if someone gives one toffee but as we grow further, we demand a handful of
toffees and chocolate and further, we need a box to store for consumption whenever we want and
so on our desires keep growing and have no meaning of a single toffee or a chocolate. We keep on
demanding from our parents and even look forward if a guest comes to our home, brings some gifts
and gives money. Demands and desires keep growing and increasing day by day and no end.

Question is, do we get permanent happiness? Are we satisfied with what we get and have achieved?
Perhaps “No” even as a young kid or as an adult, we keep on demanding from our parents, from our
colleagues and friends some of favours. We don’t stop and keep on generating new goals and
desires. But where is happiness which gives us permanent smiles on our face and satisfaction?
Actually, we do not know what we want in our life. We aim to get temporary satisfaction. We
actually have copyright from our childhood. We see our family and relatives and even our elders in
the family doing something, we copy and try to achieve their success. When we grow further and
choose career options what we see others are making and are successful. This could be judge, civil
services, doctor, engineer, singer or scientist. All that fascinates us is seeing successful people. We
actually imitate others and assume that this was the happiness which meant to be for my life and
strive to achieve this.

First day is a temporary happiness.

When we get a cricket kit, we get happiness and store our kit nicely but gradually lose interest and
look forward to something else. We get our first job as engineer or doctor or first day as civil servant.
We assume we have achieved what we were looking for in our life and dance with happiness as
mission achieved but soon, start realizing, I should have opted that career. Perhaps, a singer,
because I was good at acting as the glamour attracts me and see the actors are earning billions and
travelling all over the world. Doctors are earning better than engineers, soccer was a better career
option than cricket and so on. We repent and again go back to sadness and the entire life keeps on
doing the same work but without actual happiness. Reason? Because happiness was borrowed and
copied. This was not I who wanted and would have given the happiness.

This was all because we are not focused on achieving what could have given us permanent
happiness.

Focus on your personality- Think what brings an automatic smile

Unless we focus on our personality traits, we can never be happy in achieving any goal. Research
says that most of the people copy others and attain temporary success. When we see people are
having power while in politics or becoming a civil servant and they crack the exam and become a civil
servant or member of assembly or parliament but sooner they realize they are not meant to be and
start losing interest. Gradually, they slowdown in approach because the work they are doing is not
suited to their personality. A civil servant has to be available 24*7 for the public services and various
protocols but actually it is not the work the person enjoys. Rather he wants to pave his day in a
different style, reading books, creating music or something else which satisfies him. A small work can
keep us happier than having a big public profile. I may not be a born entrepreneur but I have an
artistic mind and personality. I will never be satisfied and happy to run the business, no matter how
much money we make. Therefore, running behind the money might be a misleading agenda of life
for happiness.

Myth that all riches are the happiest one.

Most of the suicide cases are registered are committed by riches. People having money for the
future have several mental disorders than the poor. Middle class might be the sufferer because he
spends his entire life thinking of “how to make money” or “How to save for future”. Poor people
who do not have money for the next day sleep peacefully. This doesn’t mean one should live a
deprived life and stop working for a better future and should have a dream of a wealthy life but what
about a healthy life?

Healthiest life is, when someone is happy and has achieved what he really wanted. Healthy mind
lives in a healthy body. True happiness is felt within, a satisfied soul, a smiling face and relieved
mind. People who pursued their dream for satisfaction are the happiest one. For them money is a
secondary source of happiness and is earned for livelihood. Once they are happy, money
automatically flows to their account as much as they need, not as much as they want. Steve Jobs was
not a really happy man when he was the CEO or when he was serving as the owner of APPLE, he was
happy when he was helping the poor and was connecting people with his experience.

Imagine a son of an industrialist who has to take care of the business because his Industrialist father
demands his involvement when he attains his adulthood. He is never asked, what does he want to
do in his life. Born with a silver spoon, is not necessarily he is the happy person. He could not pursue
his dream of playing sports, or becoming a singer or any other profession he wanted to adopt.

Money can be a tool for Motivation but not for true Happiness
Money can’t buy happiness, is an old saying. Money can be a tool to keep us motivated to achieve
the milestone in a materialistic world but can never be a source of total happiness. Total happiness is
achieved by satisfying your soul. Money can satisfy you temporarily but inner satisfaction can bring
happiness for our entire life.

Wealth can be an indicator for a happy life but buying happiness through money is time taking and
takes your entire life to achieve materialistic happiness. You sacrifice your personal life, family and
your own desires in achieving materialistic happiness through earning wealth. Researchers have
challenged the belief that money can’t buy happiness and said it paves the path for achieving
happiness. I believe personally that as you keep on increasing money you reduce the graph of
happiness. One because the desire of achieving money and wealth is already attained therefore,
nothing left to look beyond. Secondly, in the process of making wealth you have lost the time
satisfying your own personal goals of happiness. You lose many friends and family in between which
you could have enjoyed being with them. Such sacrifices are the cost of material gains thus you go to
sadness.

What is happiness in reality?

To conclude “what is happiness”, is simply an emotional quotient of human beings. Day to day
feelings of achievement are the real happiness. Target of earning can never bring real happiness
because in journey you lose countless days in pursuit of materialistic happiness whereas in reality
feelings such as anger, sadness, goodness, giving, love and joy are the source of happiness. When
you achieve those or remove hurdles in life it gives you happiness every day. Happiness is the
outcome of every day’s feelings in day to day life.