Elon Musk posted a rare moment of vulnerability on X yesterday.
“Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about 😔”
It is a sobering reminder. We often look at billionaires and assume their lives are perfect. We assume the bank balance solves the internal struggle.
It does not.
But I believe there is a distinction we need to make.
Money itself is inert. It is just fuel. If you hoard it, it does nothing but sit in a ledger. That is not happiness. That is just accounting.
But look at what Elon has actually done with that capital.
He has changed the way we drive. He has reconnected remote parts of the world to the internet. He is literally building a bridge to other planets.
That is where the real value lies.
Happiness does not come from accumulating resources. It comes from deploying it to change lives.
If you are building a business solely for the exit, you will likely end up feeling empty. But if you are building a business to solve a problem, to employ people, and to leave a mark on the world?
That is a different kind of wealth.
Don’t chase the number. Chase the impact. The happiness is found in the result of your work, not the reward for it.
