Capacity for Contentment

YOU NEED MONEY TO BE HAPPY

It is a fact that you need money to be happy.

The moot question is:

How much money do you need to be happy…?

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Capacity for Contentment

Musings by Vikram Karve

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Part 1

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO BE HAPPY…?

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In your opinion:

How much Money do you need to be Happy…?

Give me a figure.

One Lakh — Ten Lakhs — One Crore — Ten Crore — One Million — Ten Million — One Billion — or even more… (Rupees or Dollars)

How much money do you need to be happy…?

Suppose you have decided that:

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To be happy:

1. you need a home of your own.

and

2. you must have a certain bank balance.

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One day — after slogging for many years — when you have earned that amount of money which you had planned — and — you have a home of your own — will you sit back satisfied, relax and be happy all your life…?

Or — will you keep on striving to earn more and more money — till your dying day…?

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Way back in the early 1970’s — around 50 years ago — when we were studying Engineering — we wanted a Cycle — and we wanted a Job after completing our Engineering studies.

Yes — when we were students we desired to have a Cycle — a simple bicycle.

I got my own cycle.

Then — we wanted a Job.

Yes — our most important desire after completing our B. Tech. was to get a job.

I got a job.

After we got a job — we wanted a Motorcycle — and then — a Bajaj Scooter.

Yes — those days — a Bajaj Scooter was the ultimate status symbol — for which one had to patiently wait in a queue for a few years.

A few years later — one day — I had a coveted Bajaj Scooter — and — I was happy.

In my wildest dreams — I had never imagined that I would have a car — but many years later — I was a proud owner of a car too.

Soon — I had my own home — and — I had enough money to live a reasonably comfortable life.

Now — what more do I want…?

That is when I decided that:

“enough is enough”

I “retired” from my “job” — and — I decided to invest my my time in what I like to do best — Writing and Blogging.

And — that is what I am doing ever since I “retired” — Writing and Blogging.

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You earn Money.

You invest your Money to be Happy.

but

Do you invest your “Time” to be Happy …?

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Dear Reader:

Remember:

You can always earn more MONEY

but

You cannot get back lost TIME

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That is why:

“Time” is the most valuable resource.

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Yes:

“Time” is a much more valuable resource than money.

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Dear Reader:

Are you so hard up for Money — that — you want to Trade your Time for Money…?

And — if you do need money — how much money do you need — and — how much of your time are you willing to trade for earning money…?

The “Time versus Money” Trade Balance is a fine balance — and — you have to decide for yourself.

I write and blog every day.

I have written a book of short stories, a foodie book — and — I am leisurely writing my novel now.

My Main Blog — Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve — my main blog has crossed 36 Lakh (3.6 Million) page views.

I have other blogs too — which also have excellent readership (more than 1000 hits every day) — like this Writing Blog you are reading right now — which too must have crossed a tens of lakhs in page views.

Yes — I am writing leisurely — without deadlines — because I want to enjoy my writing.

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In fact:

I have realized that the creative writing process (the journey) is much more enjoyable than the destination (publication).

I do not earn any money from my writing and blogging.

But — I get tremendous happiness when I write and blog.

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BEFORE RETIREMENT

Earlier — during my working years — when I did a job:

I traded my Time for earning Money.

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AFTER RETIREMENT

Now — after retirement — thanks to the money I have earned and saved all these years — I am able to invest my time in things that make me happy.

Ever since I retired many years ago:

I am leading the life that I always wanted to live.

Well — maybe not 100% — but — I am almost living the life that I always wanted to live after retirement — maybe 90%.

Tell me — Dear Reader:

If you are happy and content here and now — with the money you have — then — what is the point of investing your time — in doing something — that you don’t enjoy doing…?

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Part 2

DO YOU HAVE A CAPACITY FOR CONTENTMENT…?

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There is a Chinese saying:

He who knows that Enough is Enough — he will always have Enough

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It is the same with money:

“If you know when Enough is Enough — you will always have Enough”.

Let my try and illustrate this concept by a metaphorical example.

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MONEY IS LIKE PETROL — AND — YOU ARE THE CAR

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Dear Reader:

Imagine that you are a car.

And money is like petrol.

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Yes:

Money is like petrol in a car.

Money is not the car.

Money is not the destination.

The petrol in your car enables you to go from place “A” to place “B”.

Now suppose — you have reached your destination place “B”.

You are happy and content at being at place “B”.

There is another place “C”.

Now — if you fill more petrol in your car (“earn more money in your life”) — you will be able to go from place “B” to place “C”.

But — you are happy and content at being at place “B” — and — you do not want to go to place “C”.

Then is filling up more petrol in your car of any use…?

Of what use is petrol — if you do not want to travel — because you are content where you are…?

Why fill petrol in your car when you don’t want to travel…?

In such a situation — isn’t petrol useless…?

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Similarly:

What is the use of earning more money — if you already happy with the amount of money you have…?

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Do you have a “capacity for contentment”…?

Do you know when “enough is enough”…?

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Part 3

AN INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF THE HAPPY FISHERMAN

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I am sure you have read a version of this meaningful inspirational story:

A fisherman lived on a tropical island.

The fisherman fished for his family — and he had plenty of time to play with his children, to enjoy the beauty around him and to be a good neighbour.

A yacht arrived carrying a wealthy entrepreneur.

The fisherman took him out for a day’s fishing.

As the day went on — the entrepreneur looked at the beautiful island with its silver sand fringed with palm trees, the calm blue sea filled with a rainbow of darting fish.

The entrepreneur saw the opportunity for development and making lots of money.

The wealthy and successful entrepreneur was a magnanimous man — so he thought he must help the fisherman by offering him the idea — so he said to the fisherman:

“Why don’t you build a hotel and encourage tourists to come to the island…?”

“A hotel…?” the fisherman asked perplexed.

“Yes — a hotel…” the businessman said, “in fact — you should build a holiday village with a sports complex — so people can come and relax. It could be so successful that you could build an air-strip — so you can offer the whole package to the tourists — so you can cut out the middle man and make even greater profits.”

“Why should I do that…?” asked the fisherman.

“You would make lots of money and be rich of course…” replied the entrepreneur.

“How long would it take…?” asked the fisherman

“I would think it would take 10 years to be really successful…” answered the entrepreneur.

“What would I do with all that money…?” asked the fisherman.

“You could go on exotic holidays to a beautiful island — where you could fish — play with your children — and have plenty of time to enjoy the beauty all around you…” replied the entrepreneur.

“But that is exactly what I am doing right now — isn’t it…?” asked the bewildered fisherman.

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HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT ARE HERE AND NOW — NOT IN THE FUTURE

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Sometimes:

We can have happiness and contentment — here and now.

But — we keep on struggling and aspiring for more and more — and — we do not enjoy what we already have.

Yes — Your Happiness is Here and Now — not in some distant future — so — there is no need to be ambitious — and ruin your present — while trying to chase some distant happiness.

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It would be apt to quote Warren Buffet:

“I really like my life.

I have arranged my life so that I can do what I want…

I get to do what I like to do every single day of the year…”

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I think I can say this about me too.

Barring unforeseen contingencies — I am able to do what I like to do almost every day of my life.

(Even in the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown and Stay-at-Home times — this attitude of capacity for contentment has helped me maintain my sanity and be happy doing my writing and blogging)

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Moral of the Story

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DO YOU KNOW WHEN “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”…?

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Dear Reader:

May I wish you happiness and contentment “here and now” — wherever you are — with whatever you have got.

Remember:

Money is like petrol in a car.

Money is not the car.

You need to fill only that much petrol that is required to take you to your destination.

What is the point of filling excess petrol — if you do not want to travel further…?

If you know when “enough is enough” — you will always have enough.

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VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

1. These are my personal views. They may or may not work for everyone. Please exercise your own due diligence in your life.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Link to my source post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/07/wealth-management-made-simple.html

This is an revised, updated and abridged version of a self-help article I wrote long back, 27 years ago, in the 1990s, and first posted online on my blogs more than 12 years ago in 2009, and reposted later at urls: http://creative.sulekha.com/enough-is-enough_468090_blog and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/11/capacity-for-contentment.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/05/money-buys-happiness-how-much-money-do.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/05/money.htmlandhttp://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/09/musings-on-eve-of-my-birthday-enough-is.htmlandhttp://karvediat.blogspot.in/2017/02/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-3/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/06/30/you-need-money-to-be-happy-but-how-much/ etc

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.