The Threshold

What do you make out of the following statement.

‘Money can buy you happiness.’

Well as much as you might like to believe otherwise, yes, money can buy you happiness. The best things in life might be free, but more often than not, it takes money to let you find yourself in that situation in the first place.

Watching a sunset might be free, but watching a beautiful sunset in the right setting costs money. Loving might be free, but finding someone to connect and love costs money. Helping someone might be free, but more often than not these days, one does not have the time and so that costs money too!

One might define personal happiness on multiple levels. One finds happiness in the happiness of loved ones. Momentary as it might be, the buying of a new car, or house, going out and dining out at that lovely restaurant, charity!, Hiking out in the woods, pitching a tent in the wilderness (that tent costs money, not to mention getting there!), gifting something to friends and family, treating someone. All of these things cost money.

To live, to survive in this world, like it or not, it costs money.
Now that we have identified that money can buy you happiness to a certain degree and it is an essential, take a look at this other statement.

‘If money can buy you happiness,
Infinite money can buy you infinite happiness.’

Now despite the valuation of money described above, unlike mathematics, the two statements are not directly proportional. The truth here and now is in fact the latter statement could not be further from the truth.
The truth is this. We all have certain needs and necessities to be able to live a comfortable life. The way we have been brought up defines what this might be and to what degree money governs this. But the fact is there is always a threshold. Let us call it the monetary threshold. And once that threshold is crossed, money almost does not matter. Loosely, one might say it is the difference between a man who owns a billion dollars and a man who owns ten billion.

After a certain point or threshold, it simply does not matter.

When people often say to beginners in any industry, like – ‘don’t go after the money, concentrate on learning, and job satisfaction as these are more important’ they are speaking from an internal governing of experience. While they might not always understand the money threshold, they are using it.

To life a life of satisfaction, you must understand your monetary threshold.

Beyond what point does money stop to matter with regard to how you wish to live or what you want to do. And be honest about it. Know if working for those extra 10 years and really letting life pass in order to own that Ferrari is going to give you the happiness you crave. Know what your priorities in life are, and understand what and how much you really need to fulfill it and live life to the fullest.

Do not push yourself merely in competition with another person to earn more money. What works for him might not work for you. And they are in all probability just like you, pushing themselves because you are. Detach yourself from the crowd and understand what it is that you want and how much would that life cost.

You will be surprised suddenly how an extremely inflated number in your head becomes so much more attainable and make you so much happier and calmer.

Know that every rupee that is left in the bank after your death is a testimony to that extra time you wasted earning it, instead of spending it.

Find your monetary threshold.

Plan life accordingly.