There are those who believe that money and happiness go hand in hand. Truthfully, it does—to an extent. At a certain level, money’s impact on your well-being begins to diminish. When you don’t have a lot of money, it doesn’t take much to make you happy. A thousand dollars can change one person’s life, while someone else might simply call it “Friday night”. The more you get, the more it takes to create the same effect. In that way, it’s like a drug. It’s a cycle that many people find themselves in, and they constantly chase a bigger paycheck because of it. However, when you’ve identified why you earn money in the first place, it’s easier to know when your true wants are in sync with your income. At that point, you can begin looking for other types of compensation. For example, many people will jump at the chance for a $10,000 raise, despite the fact that it means they will be working much longer hours. They haven’t identified the point at which money begins to lose its effect, so they simply follow the script in their head that says “more money is always a good thing.” Often, what they really want is more freedom—in reality, they’re actually getting less of it. So, beyond meeting your basic needs, what purpose does money serve for you? Does it take more money to achieve that goal, or can you reach it with what you already have?