Let me tell you, spending a few days on somebody else’s boat brought me lots of joy. And while the boat’s owner loved having us airbnb’ers defraying his costs (he was retired), he also loved to teach sailing, navigation and spending quality time with interesting people. Would I enjoy his boat if it were mine? Probably not nearly so much. Find a way to have those amazing experiences. They don’t have to be ridiculously expensive. And don’t spend tons of money on a car. When they become fully self-driving (and have a guarantee like Volvo’s where the company has promised to take 100% liability) you’ll want to trade in 2-3 vehicles for the one your whole family can use.

Love that – the “things” you enjoy most aren’t things at all. I feel the same – for me it’s traveling, experiences, relationships, meaningful work, etc.

Glad you enjoyed this post! And agreed – wanting to earn more money isn’t necessarily a problem. Having more money can often solve a lot of problems and bring a ton of freedom as well.

Agreed that your desires change throughout life. And I’d question whether or not cars, yachts, and expensive clothes actually bring genuine happiness or if they bring fleeting happiness. That’s for each individual to decide on their own, though.

After that I can think of actual things that bring me joy (and Chipotle is one of them!) but they bring me less joy or more conditional joy than the above. For example, one of the reasons I enjoy Chipotle so much is not just because it’s delicious, but because I eat it rarely – maybe once a month so it’s a treat and feels special. If I had it every day (and I’ve tried this) hedonic adaptation takes over and it becomes normal. I don’t feel the same way about spending time with people, such as my partner every day. It always feels special…and now I sound like a sap… Anyway, very interesting juxtaposition. I’m going to go contemplate life some more.

I like how you didn’t turn this post into “wanting to earn money” is the problem or anything. Like you said, changing number 2 was the key in your unorthodox approach.