2023-09-27 11:50:16
Money is one of the fundamental elements to survive in society. Through this, you can access certain goods and services, which promise to increase your well-being throughout your routine.
However, has it ever happened to you that you tried very hard to chase specific gains and when you were finally able to achieve them you didn’t feel as fulfilled as you expected?
Such a scenario is common and can often generate the classic feeling that “it is never enough.”
In this way, you can enter a spiral in which you believe that as you earn more money, there will be more satisfaction.
However, that seems to never happen. Or at least, not permanently.
The Harvard Business School specialist and author of the book MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your ‘Enough (Harper Business, 2023), Manisha Thakor, recently stated that “what destroys the soul is that you end up having a relationship with money, work, success and achievements”, instead of a healthy connection with what you love. generates greater personal well-being.
As explained to CNBCthat can be detrimental to what you value most and your mental and physical health, because this mechanism works under the following formula: “Self-worth = Net worth (in monetary terms)”.
The latter translates into the tendency to think that the more money one earns, the more happiness or personal success one obtains.
And it is precisely this race without an apparent goal that leads people to feel dissatisfied, even though they have earned money through their efforts.
“In the absence of emotional well-being, increasing money above what is necessary does not increase life satisfaction,” the expert said.
This is why he suggested another formula that does promise to help you improve your life satisfaction and your relationship with money: “Financial health + Emotional wealth = Monetary Zen.”
But what do these concepts mean?
The formula that promises to improve your satisfaction in life and your relationship with money, according to a Harvard expert. Photo: reference.
The first term refers to the ability to use money to cover basic needs, such as buying food, paying rent, having an emergency fund, and saving for retirement.
Thakor emphasized that while those goals are crucial, meeting them does not mean you will automatically gain satisfaction.
This is where the second part of the formula comes in, emotional richness.
This concept goes beyond money and mainly refers to cultivating the activities and experiences that bring you greater happiness.
To identify them, the Harvard specialist suggested a strategy: stop for a few moments and think regarding what you would do and what you would not do if you had unlimited resources and very little time.
Of course, the answers may vary depending on each person, but Thakor said they usually include things like spending time with loved ones, traveling, walking in nature or reading.
And if you still find it difficult to find which activities generate emotional wealth for you, he said you can ask yourself: “At what point in my life have I been happiest? Where was I? What was he doing? What creative activities did I ever do that brought me joy?”
Such answers can help you find the points that give you the most satisfaction.
“This is how you have a truly rich life,” said the expert.
The formula that promises to improve your satisfaction in life and your relationship with money, according to a Harvard expert. Photo: reference.
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