The concept of wealth has an unrealistic hold over people who don’t have large volumes of cash at their disposal. Many middle-class people imagine that wealthy people quaff champagne all day long and skip happily from one extravagant life chapter to the next.
Thinking like this makes many people feel deprived and it can leave us with a sense of despair about life and it’s inequality.
But let me tell you a secret. If you look around you, whether reading a book, watching television or getting in the car to go buy groceries – life is not that different from those with ample resources.
When you are in the car, you are driving from A to B. At first, being in a Porsche or an Aston Martin might be great but the novelty wears off. I don’t know any wealthy people who get in their cars each day and marvel laboriously over the interior leather seats and custom made dashboard.
It’s a car. Most of us have cars.
Whether you have a large home or a modest home, it is most likely to have a bedroom with a bed. I can assure you that the quality of sleep you get will not be affected by the size of the house or the type of bed you sleep in.
What I am trying to get at is that, right now – you have enough. You can drive to work in your little Corsa listening to something funny on the radio and be feeling very happy. You could be driving that same route in a plush car, stuck in the same traffic jam worrying about the latest business deal that had gone sour.
Don’t allow your thinking to take away the pleasure of the moment. Money does offer choice and freedom but apart from that, life isn’t that much different.
Wealthy people still have to get through life and deal with other people lying to them, disliking them, traffic, failed relationships and their own perceptions of the world around them.
I once spoke to a wealthy client who said that now that he has money, he is constantly worried about losing it!
As long as you have the basics, research has shown that there is a cut off point after which time, happiness is not dramatically affected by wealth.
What causes more distress is the way we think we are missing out because of lack of money.
Friends, family and experiences are the cornerstones of contentment. It is possible to be happy in a small cottage and absolutely miserable in a mansion. Happiness is a choice as well as a state of mind.
Don’t fool yourself into believing that money is the answer.
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
