CAN WE EVER HAVE ENOUGH?
Everyone dreams of that time in their life when they finally make enough money to be able to do anything they like, buy anything they feel like buying, eat whatever they feel like eating no matter how expensive it is and spend as much as they want to spend regardless of when or where. That is the ultimate dream for most people. Well, maybe me too. At that point in your life, you most probably want to retire and live like the proverbial rich man. Sleep, eat and make merry.
Following the words or Bruno Mars in the song “Billionaire”, he wants to buy all the things he never had. Praiz in the song “Rich & Famous” wants to compensate his parents for their struggles over him. Likewise, we all have different things driving us to be rich, wealthy and famous like the celebrities we see on TV. With the different targets we have set, come different landmarks. Some consider making a million dollars their own definition of wealth. Some would not agree that they are wealthy until they are billionaires. Some want 5 Porsche cars in their garage before they consider themselves rich. This brings me to the conclusion that the word Rich or wealthyis actually relative.
But at that point when you reach and cross your landmark, will you really be ready to retire? Will you really be satisfied to just live the rest of your life in the proverbial Sleep-Eat-Make merry cycle? I don’t think so.
The question here is why? Why do we never want to stop making money? Why are we never satisfied? Why do we see every level as a stepping stone to the next? And even when we get to the very top, we still wish there were something or somewhere higher we could aspire to.
In my own opinion and with research on this subject, I have come to the conclusion that human beings can only really be satisfied when under pressure. We are only content when we have a goal at hand, something or things we are pursuing every one of our waking moments. Though this might sound untenable to you, just take a few moments to reflect on it. First, all you just want is a 7-point result in your courses. Then when you get the 7-points, you want the 80’s and 90’s, not just 70’s. All you wish for after your degree program is a job that pays N800,000 per month. If you manage to get that, I give you just a few months, then you will want N1,300,000 per month. And it doesn’t stop there. What are we really after? What is the whole point of the chase if the finish line keeps shifting forwards?
I read about an entrepreneur who finally achieved his dream of wealth by selling his start-up for millions of dollars, and then he decided to retire. After five days, he was so bored he decided to take up a low-level job with another company, despite how much money he had. Why? Why are we never content? Again, I refer to my postulate: “Humans are only content under pressure”. Perhaps, it is what gives us a sense of direction, purpose and fulfillment. Maybe it is what develops into happiness and satisfaction. Maybe that’s why.
Realistically, happiness seems like the answer to some of the questions I’ve asked above, and I think Satisfaction can take care of the rest. That might be because happiness is not really quantifiable. Not something you can buy with money. Money can buy comfort. That is all it can do. It cannot buy happiness or satisfaction.
I hope you get the real gist of what I am trying to say. But let me just conclude here. The more money you have the more needs you get, the more responsibilities you get and then, the more money you want. Since you can’t ever get enough money, don’t chase money. Chase happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment. Try to be at your best every time even if you are not the best. With that, I think, life should be a lot easier for everyone.
Okemakinde Samson.
