Being Happy with Little

"Money doesn't buy happiness". A cliche that people hear almost everytime they lament about their income. Most people I know, whether they are making $20,000 a year or $200,000 a year are unhappy with their income generating abilities. I am one of them at times.

Gibson Blues Master, Keb' Mo' signature series

Here's a recent personal experience: I bought a nice little acoustic guitar for $500, after a month, I started surfing the internet and lusting over that $3,000 Gibson. The characteristic of wanting more, not recognizing that what we have is perfectly capable of giving us happiness does all of us in. I could sign off $3,000 and be unhappy with the Gibson in a month's time. I woke up this morning wondering what the hell I am so unhappy about---my life mostly.

Here's a list of it:

1. I wish I have more disposable income to spend
2. More time to enjoy the things I bought
3. More money in my retirement funds, equals to earlier retirement

After thinking it through, I realized that "Money = Time". If you have not read Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's book: Your Money or Your Life, I suggest you do it ASAP. In order to earn more money, I need to shoot more weddings(I'm a Photographer/Videographer for weddings). Cover one more wedding a month would bring in an addition $2,000 right? WRONG. Photographing is just one part of the job. There are other 'invisible' work required which people don't see like: spending more time marketing to a bigger audience, more time meeting clients, shooting, editing, packaging the product, etc.

So, I could spend 30 hours more per month on making that addition $2,000 or spend that time playing the $500 guitar I already have. I could spend that 30 hours on reading, traveling, shooting a personal project---fulfilling point 2 of the list of things I am unhappy about.

Simple logic, but something we all forget: "Spend less than you earn. Retire early." Frankly, I can do with less stress of  shooting weddings.