Money is not everything in life. This can be hard to accept, especially if you are someone who has always been looking for money. There are many other important things in life, and you should never forget that.
A lot of people say that "money is not everything, but everything is money". And it's true - in the grand scheme of things, money doesn't mean all that much. But that doesn't mean it's unimportant. In fact, having a lot of money can make a huge difference in your life.
Have you thought about what you can do with an extra $1000 a month? You can buy a nicer apartment or travel a lot with your family. You can even save up to a down payment on the house! Money certainly isn't everything, but it definitely makes life a lot easier.
Moreover, the results of a new study on money indicate that high-income earners (who earn $75,000 annually) are happier with their lives.
Does this mean that money should be our top priority? As mentioned earlier, it is important to be financially stable, but to understand that money is not everything, we need to dig deeper.
Money legends
In the rich vs rich debate, you might think that getting rich is the most important thing in the world because it is often associated with making a lot of money and becoming a millionaire. However, this type of mindset also creates a misperception of what it means to be wealthy.
Enter King Midas. You may have heard about the story of King Midas, who was given a unique gift by the god Dionysus. Everything he touches will turn to gold. Sounds like an excellent early retirement plan, right? Especially when you know that the price of a ton of gold today is $55,582,130.
But, again, money is not everything in life. While our hero, Midas, became richer than ever, he could neither eat nor drink, but turned his precious daughter into a golden statue by simply touching her.
Signals from the story? Be careful about what you wish for and understand your intentions before taking (financial) action.
miser syndrome
If you're an avid reader, you'll probably find that money isn't everything in Charles Dickens' book, A Christmas Carol.
Here, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, neglects everything with his nonsense attitude, including his family, in order to accumulate wealth.
In an alternate future he dies alone and is forgotten.
The Christmas carol teaches us that our personal growth and being authentic are the things that make us rich. This is more important than the size of our annual income.
Changing the Money Paradigm
Money isn’t everything since it can’t buy us the essential things in life: health and love.
Love Doesn’t Cost a Thing
One of the most important things in life is your relationships. Friends and family are the people who will be there for you through thick and thin, and they are worth more than any amount of money.
If you don’t have a strong network of support, then you need to work on building one. Spend time with your friends and family, go out for coffee or dinner, and just enjoy each other’s company.
The First Wealth is Health
To understand the money isn’t everything meaning, we’ll talk about another important area of your life — your health.
True, if you’re rich, you’ll have access to the best dietitians and personal trainers on the planet, but they won’t be able to save you from all the illnesses in the world.
For example, the famous Beatle, George Harrison, lost his battle with cancer, although he had a net worth of $400 million at the time of his death. Not even Steve Jobs could fool death, though that famous speech about the worthlessness of money is not really his.
Money is not everything, Warren Buffett would say, i.e., “Money will not change how healthy you are or how many people love you.”
Strive Not to Be a Success, but Rather to Be of Value
Your personal growth is another area that is important in life. You should always be working on becoming a better person. This means learning new things, challenging yourself, and growing as an individual.
If you don’t work on your personal growth, you will stagnate and never reach your full potential.
You Deserve to Have a Job That Fulfills You
Since it’s tightly linked to our careers and finances, is money everything in our life? While both are important, they should not be the only things you focus on in life or you may burn out and end up hating going to work.
Make sure that you are taking time to enjoy your hobbies and interests, and do not put all of your eggs in one basket. If you focus too much on your career or finances, you will miss out on other aspects of life.
Moreover, ask yourself, is working at a job that doesn’t fulfill you worth it? Even if you make 60k per year, you’ll never be truly satisfied if your job negatively affects your personal life.
Conclusion
This phrase about money not being everything is cliché for a reason. While money can buy you some happiness, it doesn’t always equate to a good life or a meaningful existence. So what does make us happy?
Things like strong relationships, feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves (like being part of a community), and having a purpose in life.
FAQs
What does money is not everything mean?
This maxim suggests that no matter how much money you have in your bank account, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lead a happy and fulfilling life. As you can see from our post, money can’t buy you love, friends, or health.
In other words, money doesn’t define you. It’s simply one of the means to reach financial security.
Why money isn’t the most important thing in life?
Money is an integral part of our lives, but it’s not the most important thing. There are many other factors that are just as — or even more — important.
Some people might think that having a lot of money means you’re successful, but that’s not always the case. Many wealthy people are unhappy.
So what are the most important things in life? Here are just a few: happiness, family and friends, health, and passion.
Who said money is not everything?
Many famous people quoted this maxim, like the American professional baseball pitcher, Earl Wilson, and actress Zsa Zsa Gábor. However, one person made this term more popular than ever.
That person is Warren Buffett, an American investor, philanthropist, business magnate, and the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett is one of the most successful investors and the eighth-wealthiest person in the world. His net worth amounts to more than $114 billion.
He said that money is not everything and that one saying the opposite had better first earned a lot of money in order to give such a statement.