The following material was inspired by Josh Kaufman’s “The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business”. I highly recommend this read, even if you are not in the business of business.

Some say that living in America is like winning the lottery. By all means, I agree with that sentiment. As an American citizen born of Iranian parents, I know how lucky I am, and how great of a bullet I narrowly dodged by being birthed elsewhere. If Americans (or anyone in the West, really) took a moment to empathize with the citizens of South Sudan, they would clutch their American passports proudly and tearfully, and they would never, ever, let it go. Our lifestyles, no matter how mundane they may feel on a Monday morning, are objectively special, and incredibly privileged. Three meals a day, a shower whenever we wish, education (for the most part)–these are amenities that many people across the globe cannot say they have. Americans have everything man could ever desire. However, despite having one of the highest median household incomes in the world, and an endless well of financial optimism, happiness is something that eludes us.

If you question whether money can purchase happiness, continue reading; you may be surprised with the answer you receive.

Listen, real talk: depression is a touchy subject, even though it shouldn’t be. At some point in your life, you will feel blue; it may be for a period of just a couple days, it may last a few weeks, or it could drag for months–hopefully not years. Sadness, and to a greater extent, depression, is a part of life. These emotions will bear heaviness, angst, and disenchantment. From 2007 until 2012, I had a pretty bad experience with major depression. I was anxious, suffering from five panic attacks a day at my worst. When asked what depression feels like (a question I don’t normally hear, because depression is so common), I would say, “It’s like wearing a heavy blanket on a hot summer’s night: miserable, and, for whatever reason, you cannot seem to shake the damn thing off, regardless of how hard you flail.” All I can say is that, if you’re human, you should prepare for depression’s arrival, because it will arrive. Now, don’t be scared, I’m not talking about full-blown clinical depression (though some of us will/have experience(d) a stint or two of major depression). I mean, you will likely experience an overall feeling of lethargy, sadness, and/or hopelessness of varying severity for x amount of time. And on that momentous day you finally realize that you are, in fact, stuck in a rut, that is when you embark on the road to recovery.

But how should one go about recovering? It’s much easier said than done. “Hell, VC, you suffered from depression for five whole years!” I know. I floundered. It was miserable, but I’m not regretful that it happened, because my depression presented a massive learning experience, and had concluded my formative years nicely. The hopelessness was agonizing at times, and there were moments when I just wanted to “give up,” but I’m glad I stuck with it, because life is getting better and better as the days go on now.

Let me present to you just one way many people solve this pesky issue of depression, and it’s a method that’s so common that it drives entire markets. Have you ever thought about feeling better by purchasing something? Maybe, but most likely not; if you’ve reached that point, then you already recognize the problem, and are either hopelessly addicted to this negative behavior, or are just beginning your road to recovery. However, subconsciously, many of us browse Amazon when we’re feeling a little tired or blue, looking for the next deal! This wallet-busting method is a tried-and-failed method through which to prolong depression. Buying useless things will not make you happy. Yes, I don’t care who you are, if you think a momentary smile on a jet ski means you’ve solved your years of compounding stress and feelings of worthlessness, you’re way off the mark.

The Hedonic treadmill (AKA Hedonic adaptation) is “the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.”

When seeking happiness via purchases, Hedonic adaptation will cause your new purchase to blend naturally into your environment sooner or later. This is why buying a new car will feel amazing prior to the purchase, directly after the purchase, and the joy will last only a few weeks to a month thereafter. Thus, you are required to “jump start” your Hedonic treadmill. Most people revert to simply repeating the cycle by looking for a new purchase–a new “goal”; this doesn’t work, ever–so just stop trying it. There are plenty of rich people out there who are miserable because of this very principle.

Proper ways to jump start your Hedonic treadmill:

Work to make enough money, not as much money as possible.

Reaching $70-$80k is enough to cover the necessities, and it covers some luxuries, as well. Contrary to popular belief, there are diminishing returns to increasing your income. The book “Fables of Fortune: What Rich People Have That You Don’t Want” by Richard Watts explains in better detail the burdens of money. Now, before the Randian torch mob shows up, I should clarify: this isn’t a shot at capitalism; I’m a capitalist myself. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making money, because it’s the fastest way to achieving the freedom everyone needs to live life as they’ve imagined it. Also, that $70-$80k figure is just an average, not a definitive amount; the true figure is relative to the individual (it could be $60k, or it could be $150k–that’s up to you). The bottom line is that if you spend all of your time pursuing money, you are not going to be happy. Focus on improving your health and energy.

When you fall ill, you will undoubtedly experience less pleasure overall. In my case, nothing is okay when I’m sick. The “man flu” is real, and it’s just a dose of what is to come in your “golden years”. So, be prepared: go to the gym, eat well, sleep well, drink more water, have plenty of [safe] sex, and take respites often; a rested mind is a mind that is ready to make the most of your energetic moments, but an exhausted mind that has been on a forced march is a mind that is ready to collapse and be useless for days on end. Spend time with the people you enjoy (e.g., family, friends, certain coworkers, et al.)

Sharing a meal with a table full of your loved ones and going on joyrides with your friends does wonders to your mental health. Let’s be realistic: at the end of this life, the only things that will matter are the time that you spent with your loved ones, and the memories you’d made along the way–nothing else. Your bank account will be worthless when you’re ready to die. Remove chronic annoyances.

By reducing stress in your life, you will be providing yourself a great service. If your relationships are toxic, or your habits are gnawing away at your mental health, ax them sooner rather than later. Learn to say “no” to people, it’s an important, powerful word, one that everyone should learn.

I hope this information proved useful to you. Thank you for your time.

Let’s meet again soon.

-VC Remus