I know that a lot of people are walking around with the hope that if they had more money, then a lot of their problems will go away, which is not entirely true. In fact, there are a lot of issues that will require things that money can’t buy such as self-control, wisdom, and time. Money can probably catalyse a lot of solutions, but it actually does not solve a lot of our day-to-day problems, and in today’s post I will be pointing out 5 common problems that money cannot solve.
Debt
Sounds silly right?!! You are in debt and I am telling you that money can’t solve this problem? Just hear me out for a second. I know a mother who helped her partner raise thousands of pounds over the course of a few months, with the hope that he will use the extra money to pay off all his debts. Instead of using this money as intended, he just bought himself lots of new gadgets, shoes, and clothes, which was really frustrating for her, as he was failing to see how his habits directly affect her and their children as well.
When I say that money cannot help solve the issue of debt, it is because it cannot directly influence the discipline or the management skills required to prevent debt from growing in the first place. Yes emergencies happen, and hardship can lead people into borrowing money, but a short-term mindset is what will always catalyse unnecessary debt. Even if you are lucky enough to get bailed out, if the fundamentals of your habits do not change, you can easily find yourself right back where you started.
Debt is expensive, and hurtful especially when it’s not used for anything constructive. So before you spend your last penny on a lavish birthday party, the latest scooter for your child, or a brand new set of clothes (that realistically your baby is only going to wear a couple of times) do an internal inventory and see if there is another way you could make the purchase or wait a bit longer.
Unhappy children
Sure it seems that all children ever want is to buy for them the latest clothes, games, etc. But young people often do not know what they are doing and can be victims of peer pressure and consumerism just as much as (if not worse) than adults. And as parents, of course, we would like to appear as though we can provide everything our children want, so we experience pressure as well. But materialistic items do not always guarantee a child’s happiness. In fact, there’s a study of 1,300 children, aged 11 to 15, which revealed that children from poorer backgrounds were just as happy as adolescents from wealthier backgrounds.
Most children merely need parental time, love, stability, and friends which don’t cost much. Yes having money can alter the standards by which you can provide these fundamentals, but there’s nothing to say that having no money means you can’t raise happy children.
Satisfaction with life
I’m sure you have all heard the saying “money can’t buy you happiness but it can it’s much better to cry in a Ferrari, than a bike.” This is quite misleading because it implies that a human’s experience of pain can merely be cushioned with money. Take, my old boss for instance, he’s married and a father, yet even through all of his wealth, I have seen him go through dark times for prolonged periods of time. As a way to combat this, he once went on a lavish holiday which included all the trimmings, but came back and said it was just “meh!” What he was dealing with, could not be reached by money alone.
Parenting is expensive, and for many can be the source of financial stress, but money itself cannot buy you happiness, it can only open up options and opportunities for pleasurable experiences such as peace of mind, confidence, admiration, etc, all of which don’t always require money to achieve.
Happiness is a state of mind and almost one that you actively choose to find yourself in when the opportunity presents itself. Two people can be taking the same 1-hour drive in a fancy Range Rover into work, one can be unhappy about the commute itself and the other can be happy at the fact that they are getting the opportunity to work in the first place, it’s all about perspective.
I agree that having no money can bring a lot of dissatisfaction, but having lots of money does not guarantee happiness.
Unhealthy body
Ask a domiciliary care worker, and they will probably tell you about a client of theirs that’s really wealthy, but living with an illness that no amount of money can help them cure. Go ahead and take those vitamin supplements, but that’s all they should be, supplements. Go ahead and purchase the latest gym wear and gym membership, but be sure to get your money’s worth. I am not saying that everyone living with a debilitating illness brought it on themselves, but there are a lot of illnesses that a healthy body can naturally help ward off. A healthy body usually comes from engaging in regular exercise, consuming a healthy diet, and avoiding harmful habits. Health is wealth.
Poor work ethic
No matter what background you are from, one thing that’s guaranteed is that in the right circumstances, hard work pays off. Money cannot buy work ethic, there are people from both privileged and deprived backgrounds who turn out to be lazy and dependent, and there are those who soak up the confidence and habits it takes to achieve success. Whichever background you come from, your story and its influence can only take you so far, and the crux of success is found in your effort, which no amount of money can help you generate.
Conclusion
Once a person has all of their basic needs met (food, shelter, clothing) common problem solving does not always come down to an issue of money. As mentioned in the introduction, a lot of solutions lie within ourselves and where we choose to allocate our time. If you choose to see money as the only solution to your problems, that is where a lot of your problems will come from, because ultimately, money cannot give us everything.