Happiness is About Your Perspective, Not Your Checkbook

The idea that money can’t buy happiness has been pervasive in our society. The adage is used all the time by people from all walks of life. Countless studies have been completed on the subject with varying results. No hard data in the world is going to convince a person that the view that counters theirs on the matter is the truth, though.typically comp plans …

Instead, I’d like to provide some anecdotal evidence that happiness doesn’t come from your bank account, but from your perspective. I’ve seen the truth in this statement time and time again in my life. I believe that if people stop looking for joy in the wrong places, they may actually find it.

Happiness in Life

Growing up, we were a regular family. We weren’t rich, but we got by just fine. My dad ran his own business. It was an operation that took up a lot of his time. He couldn’t be physically present all of the time because he was busy providing for our family. In him and through his operations, I saw the power of American entrepreneurialism. It’s an incredible thing. It taught me a lot about life.

One of the things my dad’s business endeavors made me realize was that I didn’t want to miss out on life to run a business. Money and an empire are all well and good, but I felt like the business owned him, he did not own the business. I decided that if I were to own my own business, I couldn’t do it at the expense of my family. The money wasn’t worth it to me. I’d grown up with a father who I knew loved me and cared for me and would sacrifice anything to make sure I was taken care of, but the priorities of the generation before mine meant that the whole family missed out on a lot of happiness that could have been.

When I bought the business from my father, I knew that my priorities would come in a slightly different order. I got married, had a family, grew the awesome business my dad had sunk his heart into. It am the American dream.

Until one day, my wife came home after the 72nd cruddy day at work in a row and we found ourselves arguing over something as innocuous as what was for dinner. Dinner wasn’t the issue, obviously. My wife had a big-time law career, but it was making her miserable. It was stressful and exhausting and it left her scraping the bottom of the barrel for the energy that raising a family requires. Something had to give, and we decided that something was her job. It was a terrifying prospect, throwing away a six figure income when we had little people depending on us. I thought back to my desire to put my family before the business and knew it would be worth it in the end.

Finding Joy in Business

The idea that being happy is more important than money has been a priority within my business, as well. The culture at Holmes Custom has been carefully developed to be a positive place to be. The people who work here are valued. They’re included in the decisions we make, and treating them well is a top priority. I don’t want to ever be responsible for someone feeling so trapped and obligated as my father and my wife felt. The “Golden Rule” that I learned growing up in Catholic schools sums up my basic employee engagement philosophy. It attracts good people and it keeps them around.

I’ve also worked to give my employees the opportunity to give. I now invite my employees on mission trips to Haiti, where we help out at an orphanage. About six years ago, I was presented with the idea that I should get involved in charity work. I had a lot going for me and a lot to offer, and someone planted the seed that I could make a difference. I took a chance and headed out for Haiti, where I’d heard life was pretty difficult.

What I found there was so much more heart wrenching than I could have ever imagined. Children were starving and dying in the streets of Port Au Prince while people back home were complaining about their internet not being fast enough. My worst day couldn’t even compare to everyday life for so many Haitians. It provided me with a new perspective of my family’s and company’s success. I now saw it as an opportunity to help these people. Serving others proved to be more rewarding and made me happier than money by itself ever could, and I get to share the incredible feeling of giving with my staff.

If money is what makes people happy, I’d never see a smile on my mission trips in Haiti. People there are lacking in even the most basic of necessities, going without clean water, shelter, food, and basic medical care. But I found joy there. I found profound happiness in one of the poorest places in the world.

Think about it, give back. Don't get too stressed out about making a Million $$ - Life is more about giving back and having awesome experiences along the way!