Money isn’t everything because there are so many more important things in life than money. When you lose money, there’s always a way for you to make it back. However, there are things in this world that you can’t get back. Ever, no matter how hard you try. Those are the things that matter in life.
When I was little, I treasured money. I kept every dollar that I got from my parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles in a little tiny envelope stashed in the depths of my desk. Every day before I went to bed, I used to check and make sure that the money was there. It was something like $200.
Not a bad chunk of change for a 14 year old. However, a decade+ later, I know better. No matter how much I know how important money is, it isn’t something that I should treasure and try to guard with all of my life. Although I recognize just how important money plays in my overall day to day life, I know it’s not everything.
There are more things that I care about now. The number one thing that I care about is my health, first and foremost. I cannot do anything, even take care of my family, without my health. Even though the 2022 has been generally a terrible year for building wealth, I know money is in the fourth in my list of priorities.
Money isn’t everything. There’s always something that’s more important than money that should be treasured more. Even though losing money is hard, there are even harder things to endure than losing money. Believe me because I’ve felt those hardships throughout my time.
Why Money Isn’t Everything
Money isn’t everything because as long as you have time on your side, there’s always a way to make it back. You could work longer hours or you could get a second job. Whatever it is, there’s a way for you to earn more money as long as time is there.
Even if you can’t work, you always have the option to let your money sit in an index fund and let time hopefully take care of the rest. There’s always a way to make more money at any given moment. Some times will be harder than others. However, there are people who’ve always made money in every market imaginable.
Additionally, there are things that you can’t buy with money. Things like genuine friendships, loyalty, and happiness are few of the things that can’t be bought with money. Those are the things that matter, as well. The richest person without genuine friendships or someone who they trust will not live a happy life.
Whether we like it or not, we enjoy talking and interacting with other people. Even introverts. Therefore, money isn’t everything. There are some things in life that are more important than money. The best things in life just can’t be bought with money and can only be bought with time, love, and attention.
The parents who raise their children just by giving them gifts instead of spending quality time with them are going to be disappointed when the love and bond they have with their child isn’t genuine. The children are just going to look at the parents like a bag of money that they can extract value from.
Money Isn’t Everything: 9 Better Things than Money
The first thing that’s better than money is the ability to SMASH that social share button and post to your favorite social media! It would really help me out put in the time it takes to put out more content for you.
So with that said, let’s get into the 9 things in life that are more important than money.
1) Happiness
Here are the six scenarios of when you feel happiness. Happiness is not bought with money. When you buy stuff and practice excessive consumerism, you feel temporary happiness. You bought something that you didn’t have before, in which you start to feel better that you’re moving up in life.
However, it’s only temporary. You need to buy more and more stuff in order to gain the same level of happiness. It only worsens the problems as time passes on. Money isn’t everything because it doesn’t provide true, long lasting, and organic happiness for you. It only provides temporary happiness.
People who have to buy more things in order to upkeep their level of happiness have more long term problems that they need to fix. People reach happiness through different and numerous ways. It could be through self actualization or by providing service to others.
Either way, reaching happiness without the help of money is organic and true happiness.
2) Mental and Physical Health
Health is so neglected these days. The “hustle culture” is just a euphemism for workaholic. There’s no point in searching and trying so hard to attain wealth and to gain money that we sacrifice our mental and physical health in pursuit of it. 2021 is when I was miserable working a horrible job.
It took a toll on my physical and mental health because I couldn’t focus and think straight. My heart beat fast all day long and it repeated the process all over again the next day. Mental health is too neglected and not taken seriously these days in pursuit of career and money. I’ve met so many coworkers who hasn’t taken a sick day in years.
Mental and physical health is much more important than money. Money isn’t everything. Only when people break down and have to go to the hospital for exhaustion do they finally realize they sacrificed too much. I can’t imagine just how worse my health situation would have gotten last year if I continued at my job.
3) Relationships
It doesn’t have to be romantic relationships. It can be any kind of relationships there is, including friendships. Money isn’t everything because relationships are much more important. Money doesn’t comfort you when you’re feeling down. It doesn’t listen to you when the person you want to tell important life news to isn’t there.
It doesn’t care about you, it just exists for you to do whatever you want to it. When it comes to the real life events, such as having kids, job change, marriages, and the like, you want to share the news with your friends and the people you care about, trust, and respect.
Who’s going to be there for you when you’re feeling your lowest that you’ve ever felt in years? Who’s going to be there for you when you feel trapped and feel more down than you’ve ever felt? It’s not going to be money, it’s going to be your family and friends.
4) Family
No matter how much of an inconvenience your family was in the past, having a family feels better than not having a family. There are so many ways that family hurt me in the past. However, no matter what they did to me, I wouldn’t ever leave my family. I don’t want to leave my family.
Even if I could’ve earned more money without my family, I still wouldn’t change a thing. Money isn’t everything but family is. Even though my family has hurt me a lot in the past, there were many times that my family was there for me during my lowest points of my life.
2022 threw my life into a tailspin. I had lost all control. I lost five figures worth of money in the stock market, inflation was sky high, and to top it all off, I had to battle and deal with a car accident that totaled my car. She ran a stop sign which caused the accident. Though it all, my family’s been there for me.
5) Time
Time is worth more than money. You can never get back more time. Once the day passes, the day is gone. You lost it. There’s no “undo” button that allows you to go back to where you were before. With money, you can always get back what you lost. With time, you can never get it back.
Warren Buffett is worth 12 figures worth of money but is 90+ years old. Would you ever want to trade places with him? I’m sure he would love to trade places with you in a second but not many wants to trade places with them if they’re in their 20’s, 30’s, or 40’s.
Time is just a much more valuable commodity to us than money ever will be. We enjoy living. As much as we enjoy and like being rich, we enjoy living much more. Time allows us to do that. To spend time with our loved ones and ourselves. Money isn’t everything. Time is more important.
6) Life
On a scale of one to ten, how much do you enjoy living? I would estimate that it’s a resounding 10. We LOVE to live life. It’s what makes us who we are and what makes us human. Money isn’t everything but our lives are. We don’t like to sacrifice our life for money because money isn’t a greater purpose than ourselves.
The emotions that we feel on a day to day basis, whether it’s happiness, sadness, or anger, it still makes us feel human. When we feel nothing is when we lose who we are and when we lose our zest for life. We love feeling alive because we love to do it.
Life is filled with both positives and negatives. No matter how bad the negatives get, we still like to go through it because our wins will likely outweigh our losses. Would you ever trade the feeling of being alive just for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars? You don’t.
7) The People You Love Love You Back
It’s painful and even stressful when the people or person you love does not love you back or reciprocate. It’s not even about romantic interests but about friendships as well. How would you feel if your child doesn’t love you back? You love your children more than anyone else in the entire world only to find out they don’t feel the same.
That doesn’t just sting, it’s the worst feeling in the entire world. That’s why money isn’t everything. You feel pain when you lose money but it doesn’t make you sick to your stomach. There’s just something special to feel when your loved ones reciprocate and love you back.
Spending those extra hours in the office might not be that worth it if your kids end up resenting you later down the road. Kids remember parents missing their soccer games. Kids end up figuring out who’s always been for them by the end.
And they’re not going to remember the money you gave them but they’re going to remember who spent time with them.
8) Forgiveness
Forgiveness isn’t for the other person. Forgiveness is for you. It’s much more important than money. You don’t want to be stuck in a dark imaginary place all by yourself, wishing for something to happen later down the road. You want to let go of all the grudge and anger that you’re building inside.
It does feel pain when you see the person who wronged you move up in life. What’s even more painful is holding onto that anger over your lifetime. The only person who hurts from you holding onto that anger is you. I’ve been there numerous times and it’s just not worth it to think about it so often.
Money isn’t everything. Forgiveness impacts your life than any amount of additional dollar signs you add to your bank account. There’s ALWAYS going to be people who’s going to hurt you. It’s just not a good idea to hold on to any amount of negative sentiment because the negative sentiment is inevitable.
9) Purpose
Last, but not least, purpose trumps money. Money isn’t everything, purpose is even more important. You were born on this Earth for a reason. It’s not to aimlessly wander around and hoping to suddenly one day meet your goals. You have well intentioned goals that you want to achieve.
You have a purpose of being born and being alive. Fulfilling that purpose is more meaningful than dollars. Think about the last obstacle you overcame or the last goal you achieved. It felt amazing. It’s a feeling of accomplishment that isn’t felt by any other way.
I know my purpose in life was to start a business. Not for the money but for the challenges and the problems that I get to solve along the way. It’s a puzzle that I would have to solve and I enjoy solving puzzles and overcoming obstacles. While I haven’t decided on what specific business yet, I know I’ll get there someday.
Money Isn’t Everything
By now, you must be fully convinced that money isn’t everything. Even in a 9-5 career, money is just a consequence of your hard and good work. It’s just a byproduct, not the actual end goal. Too many people chase it for their entire life only to be disappointed that it isn’t what they wanted.
I know the feeling. To chase something and relentlessly chase after the goal so much only to find out you didn’t end up wanting it. When I first graduated college, I chased after my career to the maximum and placed it above all other priorities in my life.
Now, I just want a job that is challenging and interesting and pays well at the same time. I no longer have the desire to become CEO or CFO or a company one day. I don’t mind if I do a good job, move up the ranks, and get along with my coworkers. If I never become CEO or CFO, then so be it. It’s OK with me.
Money isn’t everything. Am I ever going to deny how important it is? No. However, it shouldn’t be so important and so high in your list of priorities because there are at least 9 things in life that are more important. It’s just not worth it to sacrifice these nine things in the pursuit of it.
The person with a lot of money but no time or health left in their lives to enjoy life will be jealous of the person with lots of life, time, and health in their lives. Warren Buffett would switch lives with any 20-year old in a second. But I wouldn’t want to switch places with Warren Buffet.
Money Isn’t Everything: 9 Better Things than Money
- Happiness
- Mental and physical health
- Relationships
- Family
- Time
- Life
- The people you love love you back
- Forgiveness
- Purpose
