Meaningful Saturday Insight: Money and Happiness, how much do you need? 

A weekly thought for leaders with the courage to introspect. 
 

Rarely does anyone say, “My Tesla” or “My beach house in Florida.” 
 
And yet… in the West we associate happiness with possessions. 
The more we have, the better we should feel. 
But does it really work that way? 
 
Possessions are like sunlight. Too little makes you gloomy. 
But too much? It burns. 
We enjoy a sunny day, not 40 degrees, smog and constant search for shade. 
 
It works the same way with stuff. 
 
A certain level of ownership gives peace. Security. Space. 
But more than that does not bring more happiness. 
In fact, it can make you unhappy. 
 
The more you have, the more you have to protect, manage, maintain. 
You can be robbed, overtaken, or become entangled in debt and stress. 
The hunt for more makes you tired, not happy. 
 
So: what is the alternative? 
 
Determine your minimum. What do you need to feel free and safe? 
After that: stop collecting. 
No more buying. But living. 
 
Invest in experiences, not things. 
 
→ Go camping with your kids. 
→ Help your nephew study. 
→ Support young artists. 
→ Make that walk to Rome. 
→ Take time off to create, write, rediscover. 
 
And most importantly: 
Invest in people. In connection. In meaning. 
 
Because that's where true happiness comes from. 
Not out of ownership, but out of involvement. 
 
The woman on the plane? I didn’t speak to her. 
Sometimes people have to come to an insight themselves. 
 
But if I could have told her one thing, it would have been this: 
 
Money is not a means of consumption. 
Money is energy. 
Use it wisely. 
 
— 
The space between the words is where insight arises.  
Until next week when our thoughts touch again. 
 
Hans Ruinemans, Boardroom Monk ☯️