“The money’s good”

I’m not sure how many times I said something like that when I worked in sales, but it was a lot.

I’d be in some conversation with somebody about work and I’d whining about the stress, long hours and lack of integrity demonstrated by my employers.

This would often lead to the inevitable question of, ‘Why do you do it then?”

There wouldn’t be any hesitation in my eagerness to point to the money.

I wouldn’t need to stop and think, it was just what seemed like the natural response.

And the reason it seemed natural, was because nobody ever said to me:

“So what you stupid fucker? You’re killing yourself and wasting half you’re waking life. Are you insane, or just really stupid?”

My explanation would usually engender a nodding of the other persons head and a resigned look on their face.

People got it, there was no need for further explanation.

People realized that it was ok to have a shitty job if the money was ok, because many of the people I spoke to were in a similar situation.

The Happiness Is Good

About 5 or 6 years ago I was talking with a friend about Life Coaching and he asked me what the money was like.

“Shit!” I responded with a big grin on my face.

He looked at me perplexed and said, ‘Why do you do it then?”

“Because the happiness is good”

It was a spontaneous reaction and not one I’d ever thought of before, but it was the truth and it makes a damn site more sense than my previous answer.

Yet, I don’t think I have ever heard anybody else say that in my entire life.

I’ve had literally dozens of clients tell me they’re doing a job because the money is good, but few because it makes them happy.

Why Do You Want Money?

Money is a vehicle that allows us to do things that we think will make us happy.

Often it doesn’t work like that though – money rarely buys us that happiness.

Statistically speaking, once you take somebody out of poverty or being in a position where they are genuinely concerned about  being able to pay their bills, there isn’t a very strong correlation between income and happiness.

So if we know that money cannot buy happiness, but chasing it can cause unhappiness, what stops more people doing things that make them happy first?

As a Society, haven’t we got this completely arse about face, for want of a better expression?

I masked the fact I had a dispiriting job by buying expensive suits, spending tens of thousand of pounds on exotic vacations, drinking fine wines, having a nice house and doing pretty much whatever I wanted – when I wasn’t working 80 hour weeks that is.

An Exercise In Futility

But none of it worked.

None of it lowered my stress and anxiety levels.

I was stuck on the hedonic treadmill.

It’s dead easy to get your head around what I’m saying as a concept.

You know it makes sense intellectually.

However, there is a high probability you get it for other people, rather than for yourself.

And that makes sense because money equals status as far as your brain is concerned – and evolutionary speaking your brain loaves status more than I love Chicken Tikka Masala.

I have heard every argument under the sun for doing a dispiriting, soul destroying and sometimes depressing job, and 95% of them suck.

There are without doubt some people genuinely trapped in a job they despise for various reasons, but they are the exceptions not the norm.

Most people *think* they’re trapped and self justify the status quo because they’re fearful that they won’t be able to adapt to a life with less money. This post explains why that’s bullshit.

If you dislike or hate your job, then you have a duty of care to yourself (and maybe your family if you have one) to look for other options.

Get yourself into a position when people ask you why you do what you do, you can reply, “The happiness is great”

Free Life Coaching Webinar

This Sunday 14th December at 12 noon EST (5pm in the UK) I am running a free webinar for Life Coaches or people looking to become Life Coaches.

I can take up to 25 people on the call and I will make myself as accessible for up to 2 hours.

I have absolutely no idea what the hell I will be talking about because I will be responding to your questions on anything to do with Life Coaching.

The only restriction (other than when I get to 25) is that you post your name under the relevant post at the top of the Coach the Life Coach Google+ Community and then e-mail me as per the instructions.

If you’re not a member, it’s free, just click the link and I’ll manually approve you.

Image Courtesy of Farrukh