When I sat down to start brainstorming for my This I Believe draft, I figured it would take about two minutes of deep thinking, and I would be good to go. I thought to myself, if I have been alive for 18 years, how hard can it be to come up with something I believe in? Let me just say, was I wrong. Everyone has simple beliefs. Be kind to others, love everyone, etc. But I truly did not think there was something that I believe in that would stand out from the crowd in any sort of way.
That is when I got to thinking. I decided to make a list of things that I believe in that most of my friends (girls around my age) don’t. Here’s what I had at the end of my brainstorm:
- The power of Fantasy Football
- Sarcasm can go along way if you know how to use it
- Monday Night Football will always come before the Bachelor
- When in doubt, take a nap
Yep, that’s it. Very boring, right? I was at a dead end. The last time I had felt so clueless was during my last trip to Guatemala. That’s when I had my ‘ah ha!’ moment. The last time I was in Guatemala, I had a long conversation with a man from America who had moved to Guatemala to find himself. He had lost everything in the states and just wanted a fresh start. The conversation went on for what seemed like forever, and at the end, I received a piece of advice that would change my life forever:
“Money does buy happiness. Find your money.”
It took me a very long time to understand what he meant by that. At the time, I took it very literally. I was at a place in my life where money was valued more than almost everything else. It only took a scenario where I did not have money as accessible to me to realize what matters more.
The man did not intend to use money in the literal sense. He simply meant that everyone has their own riches in life, and it is your job to discover your own riches. Since then, I have found my money. I am happy. I believe that money does buy happiness.
I love this topic that you are doing. From the title, many people will probably look at it and say “How can you say money will buy happiness? What kind of morals are those?” But as you read more about the actual ideas behind the phrase, we become enlightened and see it in a new way. Your ending was powerful as well, with the simple statements of “I have found my money. I am happy.”
I like the idea of the metaphor of finding your “money” but what it really meant was finding your happiness. I similarly felt that I could not find anything I could believe in as well. It takes much longer when you actually sit down to think about it. I’m glad you were able to find something that was a bit more unique. It is definitely a metaphor I haven’t heard before and has a very powerful message.
Given that our current president is more successful businessman than he is successful politician, I think the message of your blog is very important for readers today. Since our society’s morals seem to have gotten all out of whack, yours is a refreshing viewpoint on what really matters in life. And of course, this blog is applicable to the stereotypical “poor college student” as well–at a time when it can be difficult to keep it together in terms of our finances, it’s important to have friends, hobbies, and the other “riches in life.”
OOoooo that was interesting. That quote was so deep I found oil. It very interesting to see how different everyone is because our differences make us who we are. Whenever asked what my beliefs i freeze, because I dont really know. Honestly, it would be great to find my own money in life, but idk what it is yet. It could be making people happy with a smile. I have no clue. I am doubting myself so much, so i might as well go take a nap. Although, i do know one thing that has always stuck with me: family, always and forever.
This is not what I expected at all, and I say that in the best way possible. I have to admit I did buy into the line of reasoning that your initial quote was pretty superficial. As I kept reading though, I saw your point. It’s important to find your joy in life, because when you do what you love you’re spreading value and positivity.
P.S. “When in doubt, take a nap” has always been, and always will be my motto.
Ooooo I really like that play on words with the money thing. I honestly think your ideas were better than mine, but I guess that’s how it always is. I like how you mentioned your ideas were basically shit, and then mention traveling to Guatemala like it’s nothing. I wish.