In a world in which the vast majority of people lead their lives focused on acquiring more and more money with the illusion that this gives true happiness, it is very easy to catch that virus. I remember when I was a child my parents encouraged me to study so that I would become a professional and not depend on anyone financially. That's fine, parents should instill habits in their children and provide them with the education they need to become productive and responsible adults in society. However, as a teenager, my purpose was not to study to get a job that would pay me enough to live, but to get a lot of money and be "happy".
This way of thinking became contagious to me because all my classmates, even my teachers, associated money with happiness. To such an extent was this disease that I ended up choosing a university career that I did not like but that was supposed to help me become rich. My mother insisted that I not study that career because it meant moving from my home to another city at a very young age. In addition to this, the career demanded expenses that my parents could not really afford.
Despite my parents' suggestions, my perception that money was synonymous with happiness led me to study something I did not like. I only lasted two years in college because the expenses could not be afforded, I ended up frustrated and sick. The depression lasted about two years and it was when I hit rock bottom that I realized that the only thing I really needed was peace. Money is important, but having it as a God and going after it is vanity and leaves only regrets. When I recovered from my depression, I realized that with little I can be happy and this is not conformism, it is adapting to reality, feeling happy with what I have, creating beautiful moments with what is within my reach and living to the fullest.
If I had known this, I would not have chosen a university career that I did not like and much less that my parents could not afford. I would have stayed in a closer university, studying something that at least called my attention, because to tell the truth, I consider that at sixteen years old one is not very prepared to know what he really wants, as far as studies are concerned.
In the end I ended up being a teacher, a marketer and now a content creator. I am not rich but I feel calm, at peace with myself and my friends. In fact, today I went for a walk with a friend and with just a dollar we had a wonderful afternoon. We bought two frappes and had a long chat. Our outing was very enjoyable and what we needed was good company, a desire to have a good time, an attitude of gratitude for life and the desire to be happy. So, we are responsible for creating the right moments without stopping to think about money. It comes and goes, let's work and make each day count according to our possibilities.
The photos are my own, taken with a Realme 7i.