The number one goal for most of the people in the world is to be successful, but what is more important, to be successful or to be happy? Happiness doesn’t always come with success; a lot of people are living a miserable life despite having a well-paying job. The man in Hudson’s painting, Watching the World Pass By, looks to be successful judging by his large office with a great view of the city. Although he looks successful, he doesn’t look happy. He’s staring out the window like there is some place that he’d rather be. There are a few different things that can make a person despise their successful career such as doing the same thing exact thing day-in and day-out or they might feel like their job has no real value. I think the most common reason for a successful person to hate their job is that it can be more stressful than the money is worth. In my opinion, being happy is far more important than being successful.

The average person spends more time at work than they do anywhere else. Having a job that you do the same thing every day can get tedious. Life is all about doing new things and having new experiences. While one can try to get their duties of their job changed to a more exciting job, many companies may not have that opportunity. It may be fun to be able to travel and see the world with a job, but very rarely do those opportunities arise. And while yes, any job may have its drawbacks, and its grunt work, the mark of a really good job is one that minimizes those drawbacks and grunt work and provides the worker with good experiences and work that is meaningful.

Just because you make a lot of money at your job, it doesn’t mean that your job has value. Some people want to make a difference in the world but they find themselves in situations that make them take a job for just the paycheck. Some may take a job because it is close to their family, and they don’t want to have a more exciting career because they would be away from their family. Others may have a sick family member with a lot of medical bills, or live in a very expensive area, and they can’t afford to take a lower-paying job just so they feel fulfilled. They may want to feel emotional fulfillment by helping others or having excitement, but each month, when they manage to pay their bills and have a little extra in the bank, they know they are helping their loved ones.

Some people hate their job because the job is more stressful than the money is worth. At that stage, they really need to look for another job. Barring that, they need to find stress relievers outside of work so that they can enjoy life. Having hobbies, exercising, and maintaining good relationships are three ways to enjoy life when your job gets too stressful. While nearly all jobs have stress, it’s how you manage it that can help you grow as a person. Life is too short to be having to go to a place that you hate five days a week. Either find another position, which may be better, or worse, than your current job, or at least find some positive things to do in your spare time.

In conclusion, money really can’t buy happiness, and it can’t buy time. While we all need money to live, at the same time, you can’t devote all of your time to earning those dollars. While the best thing to do is to find a job that not only pays you well, but allows you to be emotionally fulfilled, in reality, there are very few jobs out there like that. So, the best thing to do is find a good work-life balance. There is a big world out there to enjoy, and finding the time to do it can make even the most stressed-out worker feel better about themselves.