Pursuit of happiness...

I was just reading an interesting post by @paleotreats about happiness, the real value of money and that fact that money doesn't equal happiness (he puts it much better, go have a read!)

While I agree with the whole point that money doesn't buy happiness and that sometimes people are chasing money for the experience they think it will buy them, rather than pursuing whatever it is that makes them happy, I also disagree.

I consider myself a happy, upbeat, optimistic, positive and cheerful person.

I've never made life decisions based on money.

I'm a psychiatric nurse and have spent most of my career looking after homeless people, people who are fighting drug and alcohol addictions, people with severe and enduring mental health problems, sex workers, and women who have experienced childhood trauma.

That's not a job that pays well but I've never been in it for the money. It makes me happy to help people that truly need help.

It makes me happy to spend time with family and friends. I've got the best partner ever. We have a gorgeous little baby. I've got my health. I'm very lucky and blessed in lots of ways. I know the things that make me happy, and the things that don't.

So that means I should agree, right?

Of course I get that money itself doesn't have value and this post is really just a (rambling) thought I've been having recently.

I've never questioned my career choice, until the last few months. Or the last 9 months in fact. If you've seen any of my earlier posts you'll know I'm a first time mama to a little 9 month old baby.

"Do what makes you happy" people say.

Well, the thing that would make me the happiest in the world would be to look after him as a stay at home mom. Either to only work part time, or ideally to stay at home with him all the time until he's a little older and starting school.

So for that reason, money WOULD buy me happiness. It would buy the experience of time with him.

I can't imagine doing anything else as a job, but there have been times where I've questioned it recently purely because of the money (lack of) and the unsocial hours.

That's why I'm playing the lottery every week, buying my ticket...keeping it somewhere safe...checking the results online each week...feeling positive and optimistic that I've won...imagining telling my partner and family...imagining telling work "I'll just do two shifts a week"...Then feeling disappointed when I haven't got any matching numbers! No matching numbers? Not even one?!

Or maybe I'll actually work out how to use steemit and create some content that people want to read...

Thanks for reading :)