Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

I was listening to a song called “Price Tag” this morning and it got me to thinking. The words essentially say, “It's not about the money”… “forget about the Price Tag”… “money can't buy us happiness.” So as I am driving to a job I happen to love, listening to this song, I just wondered, has it all been worth it? In the end, did I get what I wanted?

The song makes a great point, money can’t buy us happiness, yes, money allows for us to have the material things we want. It provides a sense of comfort knowing there is money in the bank, not having to worry about what will happen tomorrow if there isn’t enough. But it’s all a tricky road and a slippery slope, because we all measure happiness differently. Some people may want it all; others may want only part of having it all. Either way, what does having it all mean? When will we get it? And will it ever be enough?

For me, happiness has always been about being the best me I can be.

So what makes me the best me? My first role in life was to be a good daughter, I am finally comfortable with the daughter that I became, it took a long time to get to this point and there are times I question if I have done enough to make my parents proud, but overall, I am ok with that part of me.

My second role has been to be a good sister. I don’t know if I am always the best sister, but I am comfortable enough with who I am and the examples I tried to set in order to mentor my brother and help him become the best he can be, so that I don’t question that anymore.

My most significant role has been as a mother. I could not have predicted the outcome, but raising my son has been filled with an insurmountable amount of love, pride, and devotion paved with some pain, sweat, and tears. He is everything to me and this is the role I value the most. I often question if I did enough and of course I am haunted with tinges of what I could have done better. But I am only human, and how he grew up and what we’ve learned together along the way cannot be erased or taken away. My role was to bring this little blessed being into this world and teach him how to be the best he can be. He has surpassed my expectations and I am grateful to have been a part of it.

The role I always felt most connected to, and some people may not understand this, was that of a successful career person. I valued and embraced that part of me early on, and I worked extremely hard to achieve it. I went to school for a long time and fought through so much adversity to make it happen. I would not exchange that part of me for anything, and I do not have one single regret for having prioritized this part of me. What my career means to me is indescribable, to the point that if it was stripped away from me, I could never understand who I was supposed to be.

I’ve lost some battles, compromised some things, struggled with relationships, gave up on some dreams, but all in all, happiness does fill my soul and I am embracing the rewards that I have earned because of the choices I made. Of course I am not wealthy, of course there are things I wish I had or could have done differently. Of course I have financial commitments, mortgage, debts, etc., but I don’t dwell on those. I didn’t get here because of those things; I chose to have those obligations because of the type of life I chose to live.

Money doesn’t buy you happiness. Happiness is when the things you’ve accomplished in life, even the little things, fulfill you beyond expectations. It’s when the results of your efforts outweigh the losses, when there is a sense of peace when you sleep at night, and when the little happy surprises fill your soul. That’s when you know it’s enough, and there is no price tag on that.

~A