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I spent last week with my whole family at a cottage in Michigan. All 19 of us spent the week in a three bedroom cottage with one bathroom. Thankfully, we all love each other and get along pretty well, so things worked out. We cooked every meal at the cottage and spent most of the day on the lake in paddleboats and kayaks. It was an amazing time just spending time together and reconnecting. It also made me want to move back there even worse, but that’s something that’s been on my mind for quite some time.

photo credit: dougtone

While I was there, my one aunt made a comment that I “should be taking college courses at night” to try to further my education. This is the same aunt that was telling me to go to school to be a CPA awhile back. I remarked that I have a different career path in mind than that. She made it seem like I was not as good as everyone else in her family because I am not making over $60,000 a year. Her nephew is going to school to be a surgeon and someone else just graduated college and is making $70,000 a year and just got married and bought a beautiful house. Needless to say, her little comment hurt more than she will probably ever know.

Does she think that I wouldn’t love to make $70,000 a year? Who wouldn’t?! There are times every day where I think that I’ll never be “successful” because my husband and I will probably never make tons of money. I feel like a loser. I worry about so many different things related to money. I think if I had my MBA that I’d have a better job and make more money and be happier. I feel like I’m not living up to my potential.

It just pisses me off that she tries to force her beliefs on me and in turn makes me feel like I’m a loser. The thing is, if I went to school to get my MBA that probably would be a waste of time and money for myself right now. I want to have kids and stay at home. What good would that MBA do for me?

I hate how money is a status symbol. I hate how people measure success in how much money one makes, or how many things they possess. It just makes me angry. Is that because I’m not super rich and probably never will be? I’m not sure. I would love to be on the other side, making the money and having all the things that would be fun to have. I just need to learn to accept my life how it is and make the best with what I have. My husband and I are happy with what we’ve created, and that is the most important point.

Could you ever make enough money? Do you ever feel like everyone else makes more money than you?

I’ve always heard the saying “Nobody likes your kids as much as you” which basically means that when they are acting up in a public place, you may think it’s tolerable, but others may just want to choke them. I was thinking about it though, and that truly applies to pretty much everything! Nobody cares about your money as much as you, and nobody cares about your debt as much as you either.

Nobody cares about your money as much as you

Think about it- retailers aren’t out handing out coupons at the register to help you save money; you’ve got to seek them out yourself. If you don’t protect your money, no one’s going to do it for you. Surely a financial adviser can tell you which funds they think are best for you, but if you don’t feel comfortable with it, then don’t do it. It’s your future, not theirs. They haven’t worked as hard as you have to earn your money.

Nobody cares about your debt as much as you

When you’re deep in debt, it can be overwhelming and all consuming. It can be the only thing that you think about for days on end. You may worry about how you will pay your bills and stay afloat. Debt sucks, and that’s all there is to it. You’ve also got to realize that no one cares about your debt as much as you. Your friends may or may not know that you are deep in debt. It doesn’t affect your relationship with them, so they aren’t going to care about your debt as much.

Nobody cares about anything of yours more than you

I once was told that if someone died, their job could replace them pretty quickly with another person, but the family would grieve forever at the loss of their family member. Don’t spend too much time working, because chances are you’ll regret not spending time with your family versus spending that extra two hours at work.

Spend your money wisely, pay off your debt, and cherish time with people you love. That’s a recipe for happiness.

What else do you think nobody cares about more than you?