I remember, as a boy, occasionally rushing home so I could tell my mom about the “rich” neighbourhood kids who were going on a European vacation, or whose parents had just bought a fancy new car or had received an important promotion and the big raise to go with it. After listening to my breathless, excited report-from-the-field, and after politely quizzing me on the details of my news flash, she’d invariably ask the question that both puzzled and deflated me, “Yes,” She’d say, “But are they happy?”
What a ridiculous question that was. How could anyone not be happy over stuff like? It was only years later that I realized my mom was, kind of, ahead of the curve. Let me explain.
In a society that, rightfully, views some money as better than no money at all, we then take the automatic view that a lot more money is even better. And it was this view that I subscribed to for decades.
But what began to intrigue me was whether studies had been conducted to prove that more money correlated with an increase in happiness. It soon surprised me, in no small way, to find out that, to an extent, the exact opposite was true (look up Richard Easterlin).
Like a hound-dog on a scent, I continued snooping and soon discovered an even more intriguing topic; that of how an individual perceives money. After taking some training, I learned that we all have inherent, ingrained perceptions on success/failure, family, relationships, life itself and of course, on money. Don’t believe me? Just think of things you heard, while growing up, about money. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Money is the root of all evil. Get an education, earn lots of money and you’ll be a success. Any of those sound familiar? Think they don’t shape your perception (and maybe your behaviour) at least a little bit?
And, it was that perception thing–plus a whole bunch more–that got me to write my book. While it’s more about happiness and meaninfulness than it is about money, the money conversation does, believe me, come up. And because it’s a novel, I was able to bring up the topic in whatever way suited my fancy. Now that made me happy.
