I’m coming up on the anniversary of my father’s death, and this quote really summed up his life to me:

“There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it.”
―Logan Pearsall Smith

It’s not just about getting “stuff” in life, it’s about enjoying life. My father always felt that if he had a new boat, car, vacation… whatever… that he would be happy. For him, happiness was around the corner, wrapped up in the form of things. He didn’t get the enjoyment from driving the car, or having friends out on the boat, rather, he felt that having that piece of metal would actually fill his heart up. He thought it would bring him happiness.

Happiness doesn’t have a dollar amount. Although having money can certainly buy peace of mind and health insurance and a lot of things that people need. But it can’t purchase the ability to enjoy any of it. That has to come from within.