[mythz]

Maybe it's different for others but my best years definitely started from high-school, Uni and backpacking (teens-early 20s) which we had to do on a shoe-string budget which I attribute to hanging out with friends and meeting new people which is much easier to do when you're young.

Strangely after Uni and backpacking my earning potential increased dramatically but my happiness definitely plateaued, so looking back I wouldn't tie happiness to money since I was happiest when getting by without much of it.

Now in my early 40s I rarely worry about money and my main sources of happiness is definitely my kids. I'm at a loss at what I could do to increase my happiness other than focusing on keeping a happy home and spending time watching my kids grow up.

One life observation I'd share was when I was young and earned little I used to think earning more would increase happiness and therefore couldn't wait to finish Uni and start working professionally, but money didn't end up being the main source of happiness, being young and being able to spend lots of time hanging out with friends was when I was happiest. So my advice to my young self would be: cherish your youth and focus on building and maintaining strong relationships.

[zemvpferreira]

I don't have kids and I'm in my mid-30s but your comment definitely resonates with me.

I have plenty of money but what I do miss the most is hanging out with my friends all day like we did in our teens. Unfortunately that routine is almost impossible to recapture until we're... 70? If we're lucky not to have drifted apart by then.

Like the tide it's unsurprising but can still take you by surprise - your happiness is so tied to other people's choices. For instance, I don't know how old your children are but it's almost guaranteed that as they get older, they'll spend less and less time with you.

To me that suggests a playbook of sorts: Enjoy this present moment but invest a bit of your energy in preparing for the next phase. Cultivate a few relationships that are independent of your kids and your spouse. Make sure you can fill the voids as people fade out of your day to day.

[coldtea]

>Strangely after Uni and backpacking my earning potential increased dramatically but my happiness definitely plateaued

Not really strange. Why would something like "earning potential" correlate possitively with happiness?

Especially if for it to increase you also needed to spent time doing stuff for other people, indoors, attend boring meetings, day-in, day-out, lose touch with friends, forego activities, and so on.

Earning only makes things better when lack of money was a real concern (e.g. if you didn't have shelter, food, etc). But I presume you those that during Uni/backpacking years.

[mythz]

> Not really strange. Why would something like "earning potential" correlate possitively with happiness?

Many people (esp. if you're on min wage) think accumulating wealth increases happiness as TFA suggests and as I did when I was younger. But as I pointed out with the benefit of hindsight to my younger self: money isn't the main source of happiness, prioritize enjoying your youth and friendships instead.

[coldtea]

As the oldest known song fragments saved with music and lyrics says:

  While you live, shine
  have no grief at all
  life exists only for a short while
  and Time demands his due
  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seikilos_epitaph

[baby]

I think quitting your job and focusing on travelling or meeting people is the way.