“What
do you want to be when you grow up?”
It’s
a question that everyone heard multiple times in their childhood. The answers
are usually fairly common, with doctors, lawyers and athletes all being named.
However, not one person will ever say that when they grow up, they want to be
happy. From a young age, children’s ambitions in life are to be successful
rather than to enjoy life; a concept that is fundamentally flawed. What good is
it to become an incredibly successful in your chosen field if you spend every
free minute you have working, rather than enjoying life? Money is a currency
where it’s only value is the one we assign it. Ultimately, no amount of money
can be exchanged for happiness. Regardless of how rich and successful you are,
a businessman worth billions is not guaranteed to be happier than someone who
is unemployed. Likewise, money cannot be exchanged for longer to live. We only
have a limited time on Earth, and the person constantly working to try and
further his fortune is likely to miss out on the experiences and pleasures that
life offers. Yes, a successful entrepreneur is more likely to have their legacy
remembered than a shop worker; but that doesn’t matter. When I die, I’m not
interested in other people knowing that I lived – I just want to know myself
that I truly did.
