Sundays are generally “eat out” day at Khushi’s.  She would generally go out to different restaurants with family and sometimes with her dads’ friend’s families to different restaurants for dinner.  This Sunday was different but “special” – she was going for dinner with Joys family…

Joys family was not very keen to go every Sunday and used to look at different type of outings like early morning picnics, cycling trips, short treks…

Khushi’s dad had found a new Thai restaurant and convinced everyone that they should try it out.  So, all assembled at a prebooked table at 7 pm.  Joy n Khushi sat next to each other at the far corner of the table. And their families faced each other all excited at the prospect of great time…

As the waiter handed over a very innovative design of the menu, there was a smile on all faces in anticipation of treating their taste buds to some delectable Thai cuisine.  Although Joy was a foodie himself, his knowledge about newer cuisines was limited – “Uncle n Khushi you please do the honors” we don’t want to risk ordering stuff which we don’t know much about he chuckled.

As the order was given, Joys dad raised his glass and said – “Cheer’s to Khushi n Joys friendship” all followed suit with loads of laughter n agreement…In a rather theatrical style he stood up and further added “as we wait for the food to arrive lets today make teams and come out with answers to a very interesting subject” all nodded in agreement.  Both these families had plenty in common in terms of their thought processes and knew it would be fun.

He made 2 team – Joy n Khushi was made captains and could select their team members – Naturally Khushi selected Joys dad, mom and sister and Joy Khushi’s mom, dad n sister.  “The topic would be Money vs Happiness; each team would give 5 points after discussing for 10 minutes and let’s see which are the points with more depth and better understanding of the topic…

“Start” – Khushi exclaimed and both team after re-aligning their seating positions huddled into each other.  After lot of deliberations and debate about the best points, both teams wrote down the 5 points they thought best out of their many points they could jot down.  All had a feeling their imaginations soared once they discussed in a group and were taken aback with the many vivid ideas and relaxations, they had…

Here’s how both the lists looked like –

Khushi’s team –                                                                                    

  1. Money is tangible but Happiness is intangible but more important
  1. Coming to this restaurant – we need money but coming together like we have today is happiness
  2. If we have lot of money but no happiness, money is a waste but if we have less money but are happy it’s still fine.
  3. To make money we should not lose todays happiness and to be happy we need to work hard for money and be satisfied.  Thus working hard and aiming to be better and make money is best case scenario to be in…
  4. Finally, the essence of life is always work towards more happiness and optimum levels of money.  The Journey of making money needs to be filled with happiness throught…

Joys Team –

  1. Money is our relative but happiness should be our best friend.  We need both.
  2. If we make 10 times more money than we need for a good living but are sad due to our relationships or any other reason, the large amount of money then has very less value.
  3. Making money takes time, effort and lot of hard work whereas being happy is a state of mind – so let’s always strive for making good amount of money but let’s not forget to do the simpler thing, After all that’s why we make money.
  4. When I lost money, I gathered myself – did the hard work and made back what I lost and more. But if I lose happiness due to strained relationships/not doing what makes me happy most/overlooking today for tomorrow / etc. I don’t get back that time, I cant remake it like money.
  5. Best case scenario for all of us – Yes, we all have to excel in things we do and, in the process, money will be made, but never lose sight of our happiness during the journey of life.  Work hard, be happy and Spread Happiness.

When both these lists were read aloud – everyone was stunned.  Both lists had great depth and also spoke about the experience of highly learned people as they went about their lives.  Which are the points you liked…can you choose between who was better?

As the delicious food arrived – both the families had a whale of a time enjoying as they were hungry and also satisfied that they knew how they would lead their lives with the best direction from here on in.

Author: Mr Nirmal M Jain | Mr Nirmal M Jain is a Co-Founder at HappyWise Financial Services. He has helped over 100 Families over the last 15 years of his services in the Financial Planning Sector. He has been a mentor to several people to help them better understand investments, stocks, mutual funds, financial planning, personal finance and above all his favourite term “The Power Of Compounding!”.

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