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Financial success vs happiness?

Discussion in 'General' started by Rob P, Apr 2, 2015.

  1. Dave K

    Dave K DaveK über alles!

    No work, no f@cking pay
    Cardboard condominium by the bay
     
  2. Rising

    Rising Well-Known Member

    Yep. 14 years and so far it's been pretty good. The instability in the industry over the last several years is really the only concern I've had. I work on the design side.
     
  3. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned

    [​IMG]



    Quit yer bitchin and make yer money.

    you think niggas who work 3 jobs bussing tables vacuuming offices and washing cars to feed his family stops to think about how "happy" he is with his emoyment?


    You got first world problems homie.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2015
  4. RaceWife

    RaceWife Well-Known Member

    Happiness always. I have two careers (LMT and yoga instructor) that can be pretty lucrative if you bust ass all the time. I choose not to because I respect my body too much for all that. I've been an LMT for 5 years and just this past year I decided to only work 2-3 days a week maybe doing about 5 hours of work because my thumbs were starting to ache and I hated going to work. On top of that teaching 3 classes a week at night. So now I get to spend time at home, taking vacations, and supporting ole dude with his racing. Now some people I work with hate this, they say I'm always on vacations and that I don't have to work, and sometimes they are right. Boob works very hard and likes the fact that he comes home to a clean house, dinner on the table and a pretty wife but one day he wants to quit his job and spend time traveling and I like to entertain the thought.
     
  5. Rob P

    Rob P Well-Known Member

    I didn't just "luck" myself into this position.
     
  6. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned

    Then you're kinda makin my point for me
     
  7. 6_Myles

    6_Myles Well-Known Member

    I've had three friends who were pharm reps and made metric crap tons of money....and eventually had the 'happiness over money' decision and quite to start businesses/follow dreams/etc.

    All three are now back as pharm reps...funny how that money thing works.
     
  8. cBJr

    cBJr Well-Known Member

    Does class really make the struggle any less important?
     
  9. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned


    happiness is an illusion. Human beings by nature are consumers. We will never be happy with what we have or what we have going for us. And it's all a matter of perspective. Some of the "happiest" people I've known live the simplest lives have shit jobs and go home smelling to high heaven from whatever they do. But knowing they do it for their family is reason enough.

    Homeboy makes money, is stable, has a future, and a family.

    I fail to sympathize.
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2015
  10. bitchcakes

    bitchcakes reluctant member

    Kotexmachine is right. Happiness is an illusion, financial success is not.

    Some of us are just destined to be miserable motherfuckers no matter how much or how little we make. Its part of the tragedy that is humanity.
     
  11. Tortuga

    Tortuga Well-Known Member

    Happiness is not an illusion. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks otherwise.

    Then again, people who are expecting happiness to come from a job or a bank balance or to be available in a shop or by impressing strangers on an internet forum may well believe it is an illusion.
     
  12. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned


    [​IMG]
     
  13. nikponcherello

    nikponcherello EX #688

    Happiness increases up to about $75 k per year. (note the space between the 75 and the k)
    Then diminishing returns to about $160 k, then flatlining or falling after that. So the peak for most people is between $75 - $160 k. These are cold hard indisputable facts.

    So, of course that's kinda BS, and that's a pretty big range to draw a real meaningful conclusion. But the truth is, studies have been done with a lot of people who have seen both sides of rich and poor and it's a real data point to at least consider.

    When I think about it in terms that make sense to me; if I'm making over $75 k there's no reason I shouldn't be able to find happiness. I'm driven to move forward, and always to do better, and it's more about improving and extracting the most and moving forward than an absolute number. Yada yada yada. But when I weigh options, I like to think if something is detracting from my happiness and I'm in that range, I need to look elsewhere besides salary. My relationship with my family, my outlook, my stress level, my health, whatever. I think it's fair to assume that if it's under $75 k I would need to work harder towards making more. If it's over $160 k I need to consider if the time investment, the stress, and the management of the 'things' that accompany that income are worth the money itself.

    Again, I realize trying to put numbers on it is garbage. But there is a lot of value in picking a spot to center your thoughts around for decision analysis. Making a decision, and then just being happy with moving forward in that environment. This reduces stress for me because I at least feel like I'm following a plan that I own.
     
  14. cBJr

    cBJr Well-Known Member

    So, the OP working to find a profession that makes himself achieve the same level of contentment isn't somehow valid, because he has money?
     
  15. bitchcakes

    bitchcakes reluctant member

    Sometimes where you get to put your penis can bring great joy (aka happiness). Cortez shares his moments of blissful happiness as he well should. These small details can make even the shittiest of jobs somewhat bearable. Pussy. it makes the world go round.
     
  16. worthless

    worthless Well-Known Member

    Yeah...I've seen the same thing.
    However, with the OPs background, rather than pharma sales, perhaps medical device sales should be considered. Have a quite a few friends who are doing well, have good life/work balance, and aren't regularly saying they hate their jobs. Some have made the transition from nursing to medical device sales. There's good money there and the OPs OR experience could prove to be beneficial.
    Then, after getting some experience with the devices, use his engineering degree to get into medical device design.
    There ya go....I just mapped out your future. You're welcome :D
     
  17. cortezmachine

    cortezmachine Banned



    Exactly.




    How many people on this earth get to say they're doing what they love to do to make ends meat. Not fucking many.
     
  18. Hawk518

    Hawk518 Resident Alien

    Financial success is relative.

    And, to some extent so is happiness.

    Thinking about either is a waste of time.

    I get the question asked, are you happy? I have never been able to answer that question. I know that I am not sad.

    Sadness serves as an immobilizer. It leads to nothing. Well, maybe depression. So, as long as I know that I am not sad, all is good on my book.

    I say, "happy is for clowns," with a smile.


    Any kind of financial success or level of happiness is dependent of the freedom. And, that freedom needs the absence of consumerism and guilt/worry, respectively.
     
  19. Hawk518

    Hawk518 Resident Alien

    Maybe, the OP is free to consider alternatives. There is beauty in that. Mostly, because it is not afforded to most. However, it should not be discourage just because.
     
  20. ryoung57

    ryoung57 Off his meds

    OP is a Murse? That's like one of the most wide open fields in the country! You can go anywhere, work for just about anyone, and make good money. There are so many different fields, employment arrangements, locations, etc, etc.

    I know a married couple that are both traveling nurses. The wife had been a local nurse forever, the husband worked at a machine shop. He quit his job and got his nursing degree a few years ago. Now, they live out of a big RV, traveling to their next contract, working the term, then taking off the next month or two to tour around on their motorcycle.
     

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