Money isn't everything

“Money isn’t everything."

I think our generation (we godawful millennials) is at the point where we roll our eyes as we take our last breaths before drowning in student loans and rent and groceries and car payments and… need I go on?

When we say, “money isn’t everything”, what we actually mean to say is that, “you shouldn’t force yourself into a nine-to-five desk job that you hate but should also keep in mind that sometimes you need to make sacrifices to happiness in order to maintain a lifestyle that’s not stricken with poverty”.

But, you know, “money isn’t everything”, is much pithier. And much easier to print on a t-shirt.

I certainly heard the whole, “money isn’t everything”, bit after deciding and telling my parents that I wanted to major in business (instead of their hoped lawyer or doctor track). But growing up, my parents—my mom, dad, and stepmom—all tried to emphasize to my sisters and I how important it was to consider money in your life. Gotta become a doctor and find time to snag that rich husband.

It’s like they don’t even realize it’s the 21st century.

I'm not saying that people can't or shouldn't do either. Some people will end up becoming doctors. Others will marry rich.

But for me, life is about meaningful fulfillment, prosperity, and happiness. These all feed into each other, and not one can exist without the other two.

So yes, being financially stable is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters in life. The biggest aspect for me at the moment, though, even more importantly than wealth, is fulfillment.

Right now, that means I want to know that I’m expanding my knowledge, building up my hard drive of a brain with folders upon folders of information. Do I feel like I’m doing something important? Do I feel like what I’m doing right now can benefit me in the long run?

Feeling fulfilled isn’t even necessarily linked only to one’s job, either. It’s also about any extracurricular activities we might partake in outside of our nine-to-fives. What about volunteer groups? Or maybe writing workshops? Book clubs? The types of fulfillment that each of us craves varies person to person, but it’s important that we seek at least one something that sparks us to do more. To do better.

When a peak is reached, I push myself to find another taller, bigger mountain to climb. That’s especially true in my professional life. It’s not enough for me to simply drag my feet in and out of the office every weekday. For others, it suits them perfectly well because maybe work isn’t the most important facet of their life.

For me, I’m always seeking knowledge, always wanting to do more and be responsible for more. I don’t want to plateau in my skills, my sense of fulfillment.

So where does that leave me? Am I doomed for a life chasing after that next something? Maybe, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. And it’s what keeps me the happiest— at least for now.

Stay humble, stay hungry, y'all.

Main image by Yu Xuan Lee.