Does Money Determines Success? Maybe Not

We all grew up with the idea that money equals success, right? And if we worked hard, we would be rewarded. That's what we were told in school, and by our parents, and it's what we see on social media. But is it really true?

All of us feel the desire to achieve a certain level of wealth. As children we're taught that we need to make money in order to be successful and happy, but is that really the case? Is success determined by the number in your bank account? Could it be that there's more to life than money? Success for most people means having all the money you could ever want, but is this really so? Should monetary achievement be the standard by which we judge our self-worth?

You might have heard that money doesn’t buy happiness. But did you know that even if you think it does, you probably wouldn’t feel much happier if you made $100,000 more a year? It's a familiar story. Somebody works their whole life, makes millions and millions of dollars, but can't seem to hold on to any of it. They're left with nothing.

That’s right! Contrary to what you might think, your current income may or may not change how successful you feel. And if you do make a lot of money, your happiness will have more to do with how you got it than how much there is in your bank account. Financial success doesn't always lead to financial happiness—and sometimes it's not about how much money you make but what you do with the money you have.

Here’s the truth: We all want to be successful. But what does that actually mean? And does having a lot of money ensure that we will feel like we are? Does Money Determine Success? Maybe Not.

You might think differently about wealth if you were born into it versus making a lot of money. When you look at the world from this perspective, you see that wealth is about much more than money. You also see that financial success has nothing to do with personal happiness. Income and happiness are related, but there’s a limit to how happy more money can make you. When it comes to the question of whether money determines success, the answer might surprise you: it depends on how it makes you feel.

Defining your own success is key to making meaningful changes in your life. It's also important to understand how wealth, relationships and happiness relate to one another. Financial success has nothing to do with personal happiness. A fat bank account is not a measure of your worth and not a requirement for fulfilling relationships or inner contentment.

The physical world is just one aspect of the larger picture of life. The spiritual and emotional are often overlooked as more important than they actually are. Even if you're rich, that doesn't guarantee success with money management. Money can’t buy inner peace, and without inner peace, people will continue to feel unhappy—regardless of how much money they have in their bank accounts.

Even if you're rich, that doesn't guarantee success with money management. People with a lot of money often feel dissatisfied because they're never satisfied with what they have, and they don't take the time to learn how to manage their finances. Money can’t buy inner peace. A lot of people think having more money will make them better off—not necessarily true! It depends where your head's at: do you live intentionally and mindfully? Or are you just trying to get by?

In Conclusion

The main point of the article is that it's not how much money you make but how you spend your time pursuing what you love, making an impact in the world, and being at peace with yourself. Having money is great, but if it's not handled well, it won't lead to happiness. Rather than devoting yourself to earning as much as possible and being at the top of your field, you can think about how much time you spend doing things you love, making an impact on the world around you, and just being at peace with yourself. Money isn't everything!