How Much Money Would It Take to Make You Happy?
We’ve all heard that money can’t buy happiness, right? Isn’t that a cliché we’ve all heard, or was I just raised in a weird family? Even if we’ve all heard it, not everyone believes it.
Sixty percent of Americans believe money can buy happiness. O … K … but exactly does that mean?
According to a recent survey from Empower, six out of ten Americans believe happiness is resting in their bank account … or it would be if they made $284,000 every year. Since the average annual salary is $59,384, we are surrounded by a lot of unhappy people.
That means, even for people in well-funded middle-class homes and the countless Americans who live well and comfortably, happiness is right around the corner. Sure, they’ve got money and plenty of stuff now, but they’re not really happy. Their only conclusion is they just need more money.
What a sad conclusion.
And that’s just to be happy. But to be content? Hoo boy, contentment is going to take a lot more money: $1.2 million to be exact. But wait! The survey is about to get worse. Millennials are convinced that they need to earn $500,000 to feel joy.
Let’s review those numbers:
- Want happiness? Get a $284,000 salary.
- Want joy? Up that salary to $500,000.
- Want contentment? Keep $1.2 million in your bank account.
I don’t make that kind of money, nor do I have that amount tucked away, but I can say with confidence that, if I had that much, I wouldn’t be any happier or more content that I am now. Seriously. Maybe it’s because I’m older now … maybe it’s because I’ve bought enough stuff over the years that I later discarded. Life experience has taught me that, truly, money doesn’t buy happiness. I’m smart enough to know my words won’t convince you of this. As Zig Ziglar said, “Money won’t make you happy, but everybody wants to find out for themselves.”
My joy and contentment come from Christ has done for me and what He has brought into my life. I truly believe that down to the deepest part of my being. But if I wasn’t a Christ-follower, I might join the crowd of Americans who look to money to give them that happiness and contentment. Without Christ, where else would I find joy and contentment? Maybe “the next best thing” is to look to money and the things money can buy.
That grieves me because people will spend their lives seeking happiness through money and things only to come to the end of life with a sense of “what did I really gain?”
Sure, money can buy a lot of creature comforts and a lot of pleasures—temporary pleasures—but when the newness or the pleasure has worn off, that emptiness we seek to mask is still there.
Catch the connection the apostle Paul made between money/possessions and contentment.
“I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13).
Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
There you have it: contentment, joy, and strength all tied to the Lord. That’s good enough for me.
Subscribe to this blog or like our Facebook page. And share this post with others.
If you would like a printable version of this, check out PrintFriendly.
