You can do anything if you set your mind to it.

I know the video is a little bit long but it is definitely worth it.

“do what you love and you won’t work a day in your life”

In my last class of college, my accounting professor left our class with this story to close:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the
American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his
needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs … I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help
you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second
one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty, perhaps 25 years,” replied the American.

“And after that?” the Mexican asked.

“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

Some Things Are Just Pricele$$

We all know the term “money can’t buy happiness”. It is as cliché as any, yet the expression has undoubtedly lost its significance. These days it seems money can indeed buy happiness. Even the invaluable aspects of our lives such as love and camaraderie that were once deemed priceless can now be sold for a price. As culture has developed our perspectives on money has changed and has placed far more emphasis and empowerment in money. Pop culture has redefined the measurement of success to almost strictly an individual’s financial status. This is clearly depicted in today’s media where hip-hop artists and star athletes proudly flaunt their financial wealth through their extravagant lifestyles. Expensive clothing, lavish homes, and excessive spending have become trends that signify the pinnacle of accomplishment. So much emphasis is put on material wealth that our minds have been conditioned to equate success and happiness to lavish living. Consequently, society has loss sight of the true meaning of happiness and in the midst of its struggle has enthroned money, making the phrase “ money can’t buy happiness” completely obsolete and meaningless. Does money really bring happiness?

Not too long ago, I met with an old friend who had recently done some traveling and told me about his travels throughout southeastern Asia. After describing all the wild parties and delicious food, my friend mentioned something very profound about what he observed in perhaps one of the poorest countries, Burma. Despite being a society riddled with poverty, corruption, and overall turmoil, Burma wasn’t as miserable as my friend expected it to be. He wasn’t met with a sobering scene of sad, hopeless faces and starving children with outstretched arms begging for a bite to eat. Instead he was greeted with smiling faces and contagious laughter. However, there was something very curious about this picture. How can people be so content while poverty is so strongly pronounced in their lives and in their community? When did scarcity become the status quo? And why is that okay, if at all? Perhaps the most difficult question to answer is how can Americans live in luxury and such abundance, yet still be so unhappy when people half a world away are content with life despite living in extremely dismal and harsh conditions?

All of a sudden it doesn’t shock me that the United States was the 20th happiest country in the world in a study surveying the happiness of countries around the world. In the same survey from the World Database of Happiness, Costa Rica turned out to be the happiest place in the world (out of 148 countries). Although Costa Rica is very beautiful with miles of pristine beaches and acres of protected rain forests, the country is not a global leader in any sense. It doesn’t have a particularly impressive GDP nor does it play a major role in world politics. After closer examination, Costa Rica seems to just root itself in humble living, which seems to have been key to their happiness. The island country can owe some of its happiness to its cultural emphasis on friend and family rather than fortune and fame. It chooses social capital over financial capital. In 1949, the country even dissolved their military to instead invest in the country’s education and conservation. It’s relieving to see at least one country has had its priorities in the right place and is happy.

I too, once strongly believed that money would bring happiness. I thought the big paycheck would buy happiness in the forms of expensive cars, grandiose homes, and pretentious clothing. Recently, my beliefs were shaken and my whole outlook on life was set to change when I received an offer to work at a company in San Francisco for a generous salary that seemed too good to be true. Unfortunately for me it was too good to be true. The job would require me to work nearly 90 arduous hours a week for six days a week. At first thought the decision to make a lot of money seems easy, but only after weighing the pros and cons did I realize how difficult a decision it would be. Naturally, the question came down to whether money could buy happiness? Would it be worth it for me to move to a city I hardly knew with few to no friends and work tirelessly day and night everyday for a lot of money?

I didn’t think so. What is money worth if I can’t enjoy it? My free time is valuable, and my family and friends even more so. Some things are just priceless and money isn’t one of them.

yours truly,

chompskee

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29

http://thehappinessshow.com/HappiestCountries.htm

QOTD: Quote of the Day #7

“Change is the law of life.  And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Pretty awesome.