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Make things better by making better things.
As I have written countless times, money is a story. It isn’t a currency or a method of exchange. It is a story we tell ourselves.
Often, we choose to focus on the narrative of the rich and famous. That maybe someday, anyone could be a lottery winner or become the next Steve Jobs.
It’s tantalizing. But ultimately, it is fiction for most people. Not everyone is born with the opportunity or comes from a place where risks like that can be taken.
Despite what the media portrays, I think what money comes to represent (again) for most people isn’t a Disneyland trip, a fancy car, or a Loius Venton bag. The thing that most people crave is a less frightening life. That money is a mechanism to escape or avoid debt. A better opportunity for education for their children. Or not to stress about choosing to pay a mortgage or the next dose of insulin.
If money really is a story, then so is our happiness. And there are plenty of billionaires who seem to be the most unhappy people alive. Being happy with less is a good piece of wisdom to follow. But being happy without what is essential is a difficult practice to build.