[BayMoWe335]

w

[koreez88]

Car payments? College loan payoffs? Mortgage? iPhone bills? Credit cards? Insurance?

America lives on credit

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by koreez88

Car payments? College loan payoffs? Mortgage? iPhone bills? Credit cards? Insurance?

America lives on credit

See, maybe I just need to start living it up on credit. Even if I have a little money, why not leverage myself up and keep my nestegg resting comfortably. I'll do some American accounting and let the bank essentially buy my house and not think about the 5% interest I'm paying over the next 30 years. Hell, it's just a monthly payment.

[ChineseGuy]

If you learn to be more satisfied with your life, it'll never push you into a new stage in life.

However, if you constantly push yourself to achieve more and more, your greed will take the fun out of your life.

At the end of the day it's all about balance of what you want and what is good for you

[Sephiroth]

We all go through this. Its rare to find anyone who is content where they are. Thats the real challenge right there. Perhaps a family would change your priorities and bring a different 'want' into your life besides money.

[CollinsE90]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

If you learn to be more satisfied with your life, it'll never push you into a new stage in life.

However, if you constantly push yourself to achieve more and more, your greed will take the fun out of your life.

At the end of the day it's all about balance of what you want and what is good for you

i work for a bank, i see peoples money everyday, FYI the happiest people that come in my bank have a good enough amount of money to retire, 100k or so and have a 10k car at most. sometimes less and just spend money on kids/grandkids,vacations etc...its not about HOW MUCH you make, its how much you keep

edit: i had a guy in a e92 n52 pull through the drive thru today with his polo shirt and expensive watch, with all of $30 in his account haha, daddy's money, and he was like 30

[Feyd]

I know what you mean. Seriously.

My advice would be to try and fill you life with other stuff. Like a significant other and maybe some kids and a dog, etc. It takes your mind off of the other stuff for sure.

I have some friends who (them and their spouse combined) make a third of what I do and they seem to be exceedingly happy and getting along just fine. Own a home/cars/kids, etc, etc. I just don't ever see myself being that satisfied for some reason? I don't know when it'll ever be enough for me either. It's not greed... at least I don't think so. I've never wanted to be successful to show off, it's almost as if no one ever told me where I should stop at. Or at what level a person should consider themselves successful, therefore I just keep going? I don't know..

Not sure where you live, but what might help is moving to a different area of the country where things aren't any less nice, but much less expensive. Case and point my wife and I moved from LA to Chicago about 6 months ago. There was no way we could afford a house (like the kind we wanted to live in anyway) in a nice part of LA with two cars, etc, etc... Now we move here and we can afford all that + have a ton of money left over. All I'm saying is that when you can actually see the fruits of your labor, it feels a little less like a rat race and more like a life that you are succeeding at.

Good luck with it man.

[JayKay335i]

A) Find things that make you happy in life
B) Welcome to corporate America

[CollinsE90]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

A) Find things that make you happy in life
B) Welcome to corporate America

+1 you cant surround your happiness around money

[335R1]

I'm more happy about money when I spend on my nieces, nephews, brothers, mom and dad than I do on my myself. What is money? Its relevant to commodity. But what is value? It changes. Value is priceless. Find something you can value and you'll be happy.

[TK-421]

Originally Posted by 335R1

I'm more happy about money when I spend on my nieces, nephews, brothers, mom and dad than I do on my myself. What is money? Its relevant to commodity. But what is value? It changes. Value is priceless. Find something you can value and you'll be happy.

Now that I think about it, I find that to be absolutely true. Great way of putting it.

[ChineseGuy]

Originally Posted by CollinsE90

i work for a bank, i see peoples money everyday, FYI the happiest people that come in my bank have a good enough amount of money to retire, 100k or so and have a 10k car at most. sometimes less and just spend money on kids/grandkids,vacations etc...its not about HOW MUCH you make, its how much you keep

edit: i had a guy in a e92 n52 pull through the drive thru today with his polo shirt and expensive watch, with all of $30 in his account haha, daddy's money, and he was like 30

He might not only go to 1 bank. I know one of my bank account has only $20 bucks in it. I use that account for other purposes and not really a place to keep my money

[JayKay335i]

My bank account certainly isn't getting me laid any time soon.

[Ofmalik]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

If you learn to be more satisfied with your life, it'll never push you into a new stage in life.

However, if you constantly push yourself to achieve more and more, your greed will take the fun out of your life.

At the end of the day it's all about balance of what you want and what is good for you

Brilliant.. I've always imagined Confucius in a //M5, never an e9x

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

My bank account certainly isn't getting me laid any time soon.

[inabis]

I was in the same exact boat as you. I often felt like Edward Norton in Fight Club-before he met Tyler. I had to travel for work ALL the time, barely slept in my own house (it was crazy pristine as a result- like a museum) and I distinctly remember being in a plane hoping something would happen as I was so emotionally devoid. I got laid off a little while back and honestly it was the best thing ever. It made me realize that even if I was the wealthiest man in the world I wouldn't be happy as I find true happiness through others, never really from myself.

Try spending time with your family, get a gf, hang out with good friends not shallow ones. You are a product of the company you keep- you might need new friends

On another note, it burns me that after busting my ass in school and a getting good job (I had) I still wouldn't be able to afford a Lambo or a Ferrari. 9-5 will never cut it, gotta find out another way to earn the big bucks. Just don't want to take 30 years

[ChineseGuy]

Originally Posted by ofmalik

Brilliant.. I've always imagined Confucius in a //M5, never an e9x

Confucius crashed his E90 and got himself a M3 E92...

If he crashes this one he'll think about the M5

[BayMoWe335]

This is some great discussion and advice. Unfortunately, I have found who I think is the love of my life and we've been together over a year now. She's great, but we aren't ready to start a family. As far as friends...A few people are in my inner circle, but I generally don't like people. Family is good, but very small and spread out over the country.

I have to find that balance and learn that always thinking about the future and waiting for the "perfect" time is just wishing my life away.

I remember at 17 when I started college thinking, "I just need to get my degree." I felt once I had that piece of paper, I'd have nothing to worry about because I could always find work. Well, work isn't that fun or satisfying. Maybe I just need a new job. Maybe I should volunteer. I volunteered at a school for under-privileged kids and that was very rewarding to me.

The advice about the dog was good too. I might think about that as well.

Well, off to work...

[bolinp78]

It's all relative. You say "2-3 mil, why do you even do anything anymore, you have so much money". The way I've grown up, 2-3 mil isn't very much in the grand scheme of things. But to some people it is their dream.

People that are worth a lot of money usually get that way because they have a skill, be it a technical skill, a people skill, etc, they are driven to succeed, and they work their ass off. A little luck along the way doesn't hurt, either. At a higher level in most businesses, relationship management (who you know), is vitally important.

[Brunotheboxer]

I don't think your problem is money I think you hate your job/career. Maybe you need a different path and do something you really like even if it pays less.

[tuned2ride]

Nothing is wrong with ambition... just a matter of getting out of the comfort zone, and risk all your assets, nervous system and probably family life.

As underlings, we look at people with 2 or 3 mil and think, "Why do they keep doing it? They have so much money!

Everyday I ask myself the same question about my boss.

He is 47, drives a leased 4runner. He had a 350z before... I joked with him.... why don'T you get that 911 or Cayenne Turbo *NOW*. He owns 51% of the company that he bought 15% ago. He chose to share 49% with a major institution.

Our profits before taxes last year were 2.4M$. Never lost money in the last 10 years. P/E ratio suggests a value of at least 30M$ less amortized debts.... so his net worth on this company is close to 12M$. Now he wants a 50% growth over the next 3 years.

Your question remains...

Mystery to me.

[Luvmybmw]

Sadly, many of us continually postpone our happiness. It's not that we consciously set out to do so, but that we keep convincing ourselves, "Someday I'll be happy." We tell ourselves we'll be happy when we graduate from school, get our first job, a promotion, when our debts are paid off. We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby then another. Then we are frustrated when our children are young. We say we'll be more content when they are older. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation, when we move into a bigger home, when we retire. And on and on and on!

Meanwhile, life keeps moving forward. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

A recent quote I read goes like this, "For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin---. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." This perspective has helped me to see there is no way TO happiness. Happiness IS the way.

As Mark Twain said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."
Practice keeping your attention on the here an now. Your efforts will pay great dividends!

[leocdmg]

Originally Posted by dark335i

i don't care what the bank teller thinks of my bank account...

I do if shes hot

I find myself in an almost similar situation. I Just started a new career making 5 times what I used to just 6 months ago. Im debt free and have a bmw and nice tv and all. Somehow though it still feels empty. I finally see what my aunt told me years ago money isnt everything. I had a great life in Jersey I was lower middle class ( barely) but I had a great girl and great friends and gave it all up for money and succsses. I think in time it will pay off but I guess my whole speech here is just to say, thats prob how you feel now since your 25 just like me, but there will be greater things ahead those intangibles that have no price.