It’s common to hear people say, “Money doesn’t matter,” especially from those who don’t have enough of it. They paint it as a hollow pursuit, suggesting that chasing it will never bring fulfilment in one’s life. But the truth is, money is an enabler. It’s not about the currency notes in your wallet or the numbers in your bank account. It’s about what it allows you to do. It buys you time, freedom, and opportunities.

Money doesn’t create happiness on its own, but it builds the foundation for it.

When you have enough money, you get the luxury of choice. You can decide how you want to spend your time, whether that’s working fewer hours or pursuing something you are passionate about. Without the constant pressure of financial strain, you’re free to focus on what truly brings joy. Money buys you the space to think, breathe, and explore the world at your own pace. It allows you to make decisions based on desire, not desperation or helplessness.

People often say money can’t buy happiness, but what they don’t realize is that it can remove the barriers that block it. Money can buy you the pleasure and comfort which can make your life easier, and you, happier. If you are always worrying about bills, rent, or debt, your mind is occupied with stress. How can you be happy when you’re constantly struggling? Money, in this sense, provides the peace of mind to let happiness in. It gives you access to resources – better health care, education, travel experiences, and more.

Imagine you have ample amount of money, and you need to buy groceries for the week. You can just jot down a list of items you want, and then pay someone to get the grocery items for you, while you avoid the long commute to the departmental store, and the long queue for billing thereafter. You save your time of commute, selection of items, avoiding crowds and so on.

There are people out there who would be happy to do your menial tasks for some amount of money. They money you pay them to get your job done is not just about paying them. It’s about buying time for yourself, so that you can use that time to rest, play, workout, pursue a hobby, chase an opportunity, or do anything that you like. 

And it’s not about just paying people to get your job done. There are many other ways to spend your money for your comfort. For instance, when you are at the airport, buy access to a premium lounge and enjoy the comfort of a recliner or free buffet lunch, while avoiding the discomfort of sitting in metal chairs of the lobby. Buy a subscription of YouTube Premium and skip ads before you play any video, rather than waiting for two ads to complete, which may also be accompanied by loss of interest in what you were about to watch. Buy the luxury of instantly accessing content with the click of a mouse or with the touch of your fingertip.

Thirty seconds of ads may not seem to be a big deal, but once you get the ad-free subscriptions of the websites and apps you use, be it YouTube, Spotify, or Hotstar, you will know how distracting and decelerating agents ads really are.

And of course, money isn’t everything. But dismissing its importance is short-sighted. It’s the tool that helps shape a better life. It allows you to be free, contribute to causes, help others, and secure a future for yourself and your family.

To sum it up, money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it certainly opens the door to it. Money is an enabler of freedom, opportunities and happiness.