A common expression we hear is "money can't buy you happiness." Sometimes when I hear that saying, I think to myself "maybe, but I'd be willing to try." The connection of money to happiness is an interesting discussion. There was an article earlier this year that really got me thinking about it, and every once and a while I come back to the subject.

To begin, I had to work out what happiness really means for me, and here's some of the key points
  • Self Opinion: Having a good self esteem and being happy about the kind of person I am.
  • Relationships: Probably the biggest source of happiness. My relationship with God, my wife, family and friends are super important to me. When relationships are hurt, I hurt. I am happiest when relationships are good.
  • Contentment: Being satisfied with the different things in my life.
  • Freedom: Being free to control the environment around me.
None of the things above have a direct connection to having money, so I might accept the saying "the best things in life are free." But I'm not ready to say that money doesn't buy happiness. 

The reality is that if you don't have money, then all 4 of the things above suffer. Those times in life when I am hurting financially, i feel defeated, or feel I have low value. Tension rises in lots of relationships because my mind gets distracted by the pain of being broke. It's hard to be content when you feel you can't meet your basic needs in life. A lack of money can also make you feel like a slave to money/debt/job or however you want to express it.

But if you had enough money to meet your basic needs and afford a bit of freedom, would having more money buy additional happiness? Probably not. If you had extra money that you could use to help others however, now we're getting somewhere close...

What things make you feel the happiest? Would having more money help bring more happiness?