What wealthy people don't tell you.

[Taxidriver]

Interesting to see that some people do not want to see their goal of accumulating wealth put in question...
I agree with the original post, SOME people have sold their soul to the devil to become rich. However for some other people becoming rich was just a byproduct of pursuing their passion.

I think you´ll find among the first category a lot of people in executive corporate posts, in some companies to rise up the corporate ladder a inhuman dedication to the "firm" is required, one case in point, litigation lawyers in the big firms. I know a guy who worked in the NY litigation scene, performing on average 100+ hr weeks. Then on his 5 yr old sons birthday, on a sunday, he was told (not asked, mind you) to leave immediately for Hong Kong. Now the guy made tons of money, but he quit (good on him I say).

Put this in contrast against the great enterpreneurs (I fully agee with Egoist´s post on this), do you think they see it as a sacrifice to be involved with their business? Take a Donald Trump, reading about him, it seems that he really lives for the thrill of the deal and thoroughly enjoys being active for more than 12 hours a day with his business. Do you think he considers it a sacrifice to do this? I think not.
Would Donald Trumps´ be a lifestyle I myself would enjoy? Certainly not; I´d rather shoot myself; despite the fortunes coming in!
It is difficult to make an evaluation of somebody else´s life.

I do believe some people have a wrong idea about what being rich does and does not do for you. Many seem to think it is the answer to all their problems, as if they can buy their way through life. (granted, sometimes it seems to work)


Is it better to have money instead of being dirt poor? Of course!
However being dirt poor is not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle to leading a happy life, neither is having lot´s of money a guarantee to leading a happy life

Given a choice, personnaly I´d rather die broke looking back on a meaningful life well spent instead of dying as a billionaire with nothing to show for it!

However even better would be dying a billionaire, looking back on a life well spent! (might as well aim high )

 

[Gubby]

I'm defending no 'side' in this, but happiness comnes from within no matter your situation.

Amen!

After all, the main argument up there is that you have to sacrifice something. Well, many many rich people DON'T have to spend much more time and energy on their work than most. Some drive, intelligence, luck and passion will do you. Rock stars are rich like hell. Not to mention those who get lucky with investments, people who inherit... did they sacrifice anything huge to get that?

Being rich isn't the definition of happiness. But it can make you happier. Maybe less happy, if you don't know what to do with yourself. But happiness comes from inside.

At the very least, having money is FREEDOM. Not having to work, the power to do what you want. That's a constituent of happiness in my books.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

A lack of money IS the root of evil.

You needn't have a large INCOME in order to be wealth, well-off and happy. That's the middle/low class mind set.

High income = high expenses. Which means, you buy more 'crap' you cannot consume in your lifetime. Not to mention, higher taxes, which rich people seek to mitigate, but cannot avoid.

You can work a 50k job, do it young, learn to invest/save, keep expenses low, autonomy high, and move your way into the top 5% or better. Sound dumb or simple, but it isn't easy, or normal. It's the basics that lead to wonderful things.

It flies in the face of the story of the grasshopper vs. the ant. One saved, the other didn't. Come winter, the grasshopper would have died if one didn't save enough, and was not considerate enough to SHARE. That's what we have in the world. People who are considerate enough to share, either food, money or knowledge. But it does not behoove life to support the lives of other's. That's parasitic, not religious or spiritual.

Life is live and let live. Let people evolve. When you let other's provide what gives they have, instead of conforming because it BENEFITS society, or it does not PISS YOU off, or because it will get some RESULT like everybody else has, we bury what unique gifts we were given, from whomever we were given them.

A-Unit

 

[Friendly Otter]

We have an instinct to survive, and not only that but survive as well as we can. Evolution has seen to it that those with this survival instinct have passed on their genes. This is basic.

Now, we survive by using the world around us, that's the only way. So we have an instinct to extend our reach, so to speak. Extending our power to influence the world, even beyond what is necessary for our immediate survival, and the immediate survival of our family. This is the "will to power," if you prefer. Note, it is not necessarily "power" as we understand it normally, power over other people - physical strength is also the power to better influence the world around you. To learn to use a hammer, or to learn a language, is the same thing - a way to extend your reach.

But we are talking about money here.

What is money? Simply a symbol for resources. When you help increase the goods and services that others find valuable, they give you money in exchange for your work, which is the symbol you need to use still another person's goods or services. Money is resources. A tool, like the hammer. But a many-sided tool, one of the most flexible you can think of - highly useful!

So I find any "money is evil" talk curious. To desire more money is simply one of the many ways in which our instinct to survive is expressed. (Actually I could have started this post at this paragraph - what can I say, I'm long-winded.)

Your instinct to survive is neither good nor evil, it just is.

 

[shydude]

I am RICH, and i am happy!! OK my dad is rich but he happy too. IDK who said that money doesnt bring you hapiness, whoever said that is wrong!!! MONEY IS ****ING HAPPINESS!!!! YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT TO BELIEVE IT!!!

 

[defiancy]

and you wonder why western society sucks

 

[Gubby]

Western society sucks? That's new to me. As compared to what?

 

[defiancy]

because as time goes by people tend to look at things in the more superficial side. Its hard to get a decent women since they most are becoming materialistic and look for what kind of car you drive or something like that. Golddiggers

Take a look at those westernized asian countries. Japan is like 3000 years ahead of the US and look how they turned out. I'd like to see if anyone in the right mind would want a girl from there because it'll be sure as hell hard to find one

 

[I love Hyori Lee]

Japan

Well, from my personal observations, I've noticed a couple things about Japan. First of all, everything over there is expensive. I remembered that a melon was about 10 dollars. That's ridiculous. Second of all, very few Japanese women marry. In their search for money and stability, they have refused marriage. There is even an article on it. The rate of marriage has decreased substantially. Third of all, Japanese women are more exposed to sexuality than most other cultures. I don't say this out of racism or prejudice, I say this out of experience. They have vending machines with used underwear from females. They have pornography in virtually every stall. They have many "animation" and "anime" depicting a sexual nature and of a woman being raped, a term called "hentai" or "ecchi". A friend of mine (she's a girl) was felt up in a subway in Japan. Japanese women in Japan don't fight back against guys who sexually harass them like American women do. It's considered "improper" for a woman to do so in Japan. You can see this in the way that nonverbal communication is utilized. It is considered rude in Japanese culture to look at someone in the eyes. When observing crime rates, Japan doesn't have a high rape rate. However, it leaves much to observation as to which of the victims have actually reported to the authorities.

 

[KarmaSutra]

So good people live in cardboard boxes, have crappy jobs, and no ambition?

Or become Catholic priests and hunt young boys . . .

 

[backbreaker]

much to do about nothing.


Having money does not rid of problems, it creates new ones one is not used to having. Rather then worrying about bills, it is now making sure your grandmom does not have to work anymore. When you get your "dream car" you then realize, someone has to pay insurance, and it has to be fixed from time to time.

A fool and his money are soon parted. If you are not smart with money when you did not have it, you will not have it for long once you get it.

I personally know a girl from HS that I ran into a couple of weeks ago, and she came into about 400k. She was not accustmed to having that much money. I kid you not, she spent it all last week. bought everyone she knew a new car, invested nothing. So now, she is still riding to her 10 dollars an hour job, but now in a new "pink" 300M.

I passed up alot of pretty much guarnateed money to sell my company while it was really just getting started. I was burned out, and I would not have been happy. I am still fell off finanically because of it, I might even be in a better position now, but that is all hindsight, Lord knows how much I could have made if I would have waited until i was in my late 20s to get out, but how much money is enough? I am skilled and smart, I know I will never be broke, so why do something for 5 plus years of your life, you do not want to do? For money?

The goal, at least mine, is to find the best balance of hapiness and financial success as possible. One cant sit at home and play Halo 2 all day and be "happy" because soon you would be living on the street, but at the same time, I know there are some things you honestly couldn't pay me to do


Money is not the root of all evil... Jealosuy of people with money however is a big portion of it.

I did not have to **** anyone over to get where I am. Anyone who resorts to evil to make money has a small framed mind, and a lack will/work ethic.

The person who is working at say, Foot Locker at age 23 making 10 dollars an hour, isn't struggling to eat. But when he walks in and a guy buys 2000 worth of crap, he ponders all the ways he can make that kind of money as quickly as possible, all of which are probably illegal and probably immoral. Instead of resorting to changing his life for the better, he puts himself in a worse position.

I have/had a friend, who lived right down the street from me growing up. Both his parents were retired military. Kid had it made. Had a brand new Toyota Avalon for his 16th Birthday. Worked on Saturdays and sundays just to say he had a job, but his parents gave him money all the time. We were the only two black families in our neighboorhood, which is in the upper middle class of our city.

However that wasn't good enough for him. Not only did he suck horribly in school, he started selling weed to make even more money to buy a sound system that a guy he saw one ni ght had. When he coudn't make enough money to get it, he eventually stole a car with a sound. Then he started stealing cars for the hell of it, to make more and more money. All of this while he was in high school.

About 3 years ago, he tried to steal this one guys car, and the guy came out of the apartment with a gun and shot at him, he shot back and killed him.

Life in prison, and I dont think he has the possiblity of parole. AT the age of 19. For absolutly no reason other than lack of a real work ethic. As funny as it may sound, he really wasn't a bad kid. He was a year younger than me. I mean, he really wasn't. His parents I guess just didn't see the warning signs. I thank my lucky stars at times I had more common sense than to try to make a quick buck that way.

A guy I went to school with was killed earlier this year because someone stole his rims to his car, and he went to steal them back and got shot.

It's the same guys, when I do, not often, but everyonce in a while, go to the club, dressed to the T, women looking at me, I get into a nice car... All they see is what I have now, they don't see nor do they care about what I had back in the day, nor do they care about how I did what I did. So they get jealous. Nothing is more whimpy then a jealous man. That's why I am not very flashy... moreso than that's just not me, I like certain things, but I will never buy **** just to have it, but also because you have to account for these lazy asses out here who want to make a quick buck.

I ran into Joe Johnson (an old friend) not too long ago, at all star break he was in town, and he told me about this kid that plays for the Washington Bullets that got shot leaving a nightclub, basically for nothing but being who he was. **** like that pisses me off.

 

[machiaveli]

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Those people that accumulate great wealth, through the feelings of 'Greed' can't hold to it. You must find a way to inspire yourself to have succes..
The great wealth should be only a prize for being succesful, a trophy. But the real enjoyment you should get from doing the things you like.

Have recently read 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' by Robert T. Kiyosaki ..It describes this subject, about the different mindset the rich and the poor people have.

The lesson i got from it was:

- Having a good education, doesn't mean you'll be wealthy. In fact, most of well educated people aren't financially literate. Which means, they can't handle money.. their spendings are higher than ther income. And the solution they search for this is always working more or getting more education.
Instead they should have paid their debts and started investing.

Read the book, and you'll understand a lot of the tabboo stories about wealthy people.

A-Unit might have read this book, seeing his comments.. looks a lot like if his thought were inspired by the book.

Anyway, this should be a discussion about how to get wealthy (not only in large amount of money, but financial independance is a much better goal)

 

[I-am-someone]

Didn't even read the replies:
I've got a future ahead of me, that simply means riches without too many worries. I'll own a company that basically does nothing but marketing certain products. All we do, is make other people and other companies work for us by adding value to products, and sell it. We just add value to products, and that makes people interested in them.

Now, how is this going to take up my time? How can this make me unhappy? How does this make me greedy? I'm providing a service to the public which really wants our products, and I'm also making sure those other companies are getting paid their fair share.
We don't make millions, but it's more than enough to live a very good life without having to work much.
How is being wealthy going to make me unhappy? Explain that to me...

 

[Egoist]

once again, anyone with any common sense can look past the idiocy in this thread. just ignore it.

"if i can't make money, that means the rich people are all miserable, and greedy and bad! YEAH!"

 

[xmlenigma]

Money, Women, Successm, Happiness said and done. Once you get it all..

ask yourself.. What is your purpose in life?

 

[lurker]

when i was small i used to say money is the root of evil in some ways because money is greed.
i know a man many years ago who sell drugs to start a legit company, he was in university came out worked in macdonalds for five years at the age of 27 till he was 32 and still could not get job with his degree.. he had no other option but to go the drug way becos he had a family to feed 6 younger siblins. i would not say money is the root of evil now because without money you are dead where will you live without money?. you dont have to be a millionare but atleast have something to leave for you kids. by the way i dont condone people who sell drugs but if i gotta sell drugs to feed my kids im doing it.

 

[Charm]

It would have helped to lay out in a clear definition what it means to actually be happy, before deciding how and what can make you that. And even once you do, you'll find that nobody is happy all of the time, nobody that has natural emotions that is. We experience all of the emotions under the sun as human beings. Happiness for me is being free to experience all of them.

 

[DarkLight]

The clarifications and stories of this thread have made up for the sheer ignorance of the original poster's standpoint.

Much appreciated to all who have actually added value to this thread, through the insight of true life experience in regards to money and wealth... Rather than energizing the mental slavery of yesterday's conditionings.

Someone mentioned Robert Kiyosaki's book; Rich Dad, Poor Dead. Great book in its simplicity and soundness. His metaphoric life tale, into the pychology of 2 men's minds, in regards to money is a very enjoyable, thus easy learning experience. Reccomended.

Also reccomend. T. Harv Eker's... Secret's of the Millionaire Mind.

To me... money is freedom, value, power, energy.
I'm all for it.

The real issue in question is just ones relationship to this "concept." Cause afterall, everything in this dream is but a thought.

(So explore your behaivor/feelings around this one in particular, to assist in your unfolding financial success)

 

[Krassus]

I'm wealthy. Think i'm unhappy? "Look at the fvcking smile on my face!" The original post is horsesh1t.

 

[Visceral]

Money won't make you happy if what you do to get it doesn't make you happy, because you'll spend a lot more time getting the money than having it.

The same is true for everything else. You won't enjoy something if you don't enjoy what you have to do to get it, because the doing is so much more of your life - and so much more immediate - than the having.