By Raj Mistry
We all need money. It’s one of the most important things in the world to survive and live a decent life. But here’s the question: how much money do we actually need? How much is enough? Have you calculated a figure, or do you just want to keep earning more and more until the end?
Money gives you a luxurious life, status, respect, and changes how people see and treat you. More money equals more respect, and your words carry weight and value. Less money? Well, people don’t pay much attention to what you have to say.
We all set big goals for ourselves as kids—I’m going to earn billions! Then we graduate from college, reality hits hard, and our target drops to earning 30K per month.
Once you get that job paying 32K per month, you’re happy for a moment. But then you start dreaming bigger again. Now you want 50K, or 1L, or 2L per month, or even more.
Here’s the thing: whatever you’re earning right now could be someone else’s dream salary. And someone else’s income could be your dream. It’s a never-ending chase.
No one is truly satisfied with what they’re earning. Everyone is constantly hoping for more. Even someone earning 1 crore per year is hoping to get more next year.
The Trap We Fall Into
And here’s where it gets interesting. With more earning, we spend more and stay stuck in the same cycle. Think about someone who started their career with 20K per month, struggling to make ends meet. That same person now earns 4L+ per month. You’d think they’d be comfortable, right? Wrong. They’re in the same situation because they’ve adapted to a more expensive lifestyle. EMI for a villa, a big car, international trips—and by the last couple of days of the month, there’s no money left to survive.
What’s Money Really For?
The main purpose of earning is simple: a roof over your head, food to fill your stomach, clothes to cover your body, and extra for travel, entertainment, healthcare, wishes, and emergency funds. Once you have all that covered and you’re still running for more—that’s pure greed.
Once we start chasing extra money, we stop focusing on our dreams or enjoying life. Our primary goal becomes earning money. We no longer earn to live, we earn to spend. After a certain point, we’re earning just because we want expensive things to show off, or we have this greed to pile up as much as we can in our bank account.
We want money even if we can’t spend it. Think about someone with a lot of black money that they have to store in a room or hide in various places. They know the money is there, but they can’t use it because if they do, the income tax people will come after them. If you can’t use what you have, what’s the point of having that much money? It’s simply a race to see who has more money, and nobody cares even if you manage to become the wealthiest person on the planet.
Money Without Purpose is Meaningless
If you can’t put that money to good use, it holds no value. If you have more, you can donate, help unfortunate people have a better life and future. But most people just want to store money and watch the number increase.
You need to figure out how much money you need and how you’ll be spending it.
If you have a home and 5-10 crores in the bank, you can live the same life as a billionaire. The only difference? You’ll be traveling in business class, not in a private plane. But you can stay in the same hotel they do, eat the same food, and go to the same vacations—all with just 5-10 crores in the bank.
And if your expenses are less, you can even live your life on the interest from that amount. So why do we still chase for more?
The Biggest Price We Pay
People get so stuck in chasing money that they forget to enjoy life. They spend their whole life running after money. And when they finally realize they have enough, it’s too late to spend and enjoy. Health deteriorates, and they can’t travel as much as they wished for at the beginning of their journey.
Don’t let this be you. Figure out what “enough” means for you, and then actually live your life.
