Does money = happiness?

In my experience the answer is a firm "no".

Prior to becoming a freelance writer I owned and operated a ceramic tile and natural stone installation company in Colorado along the Front Range. As a third generation contractor I grew up in the industry. A large portion of my dad's side of the family is involved, including 2 of his brothers, his dad, and one of my cousins up until a couple of years ago when he quit to start a custom car shop with some friends. And prior to the recession and illegal immigration issues it was a lucrative trade. My dad's company specialized in commercial applications (malls, airports, Wal-Mart stores, Safeway stores, hospitals, condo projects...you name it) as well as large-scale multi-million dollar custom homes. I myself settled into a niche doing smaller custom homes (200-500k range) and spec homes, and was making a pretty reliable and comfortable 60-65k a year working only about 6 months out of the year. The rest of the time I spent traveling in Europe. For quite a few years it went along smoothly.

Then came 2006-2007. Immigration started to become an issue for blue-collar workers, even specialized tradesmen like myself. Where I had previously been making upwards of 500 dollars a day, I suddenly found myself lucky to be making 300 dollars a day as I had to work more hours for less per-square-foot wages to stay competitive. I was literally laughed out of several meetings with potential clients when my rates proved to be 50-70% more expensive than the immigrant workers who were willing to do the job for pennies. And with the recession starting to become an issue, people were no longer interested in quality above quantity...they were worried about being able to pay the bills, which meant specialized services were no longer required. I began to spend more and more of my time shopping for the next job, and less time actually working.

On top of that, I developed chronic acute tendinitis in my left wrist. At one point it had swollen up to the size of a softball and I was unable to use my left hand for nearly a week. My knees were holding up just fine, but I had also developed a ganglion cyst in my left ankle that was driving me bonkers...and the hours were getting ridiculous. During the 2007 year I couldn't find work to save my life in the Front Range area, and ended up having to travel 4 hours up the mountain to Steamboat Springs to even find work. I spent January to October working up the mountain, leaving on Monday mornings at 5 a.m. to get up there by 9 a.m., and then working four 10-12 hour days before driving back down the mountain on Thursday nights so I could spend a couple of days with my wife each week. The gas and hotel costs alone were out the roof, and by October I had only managed to gross 38k for the year, which was barely enough to pay for our living expenses plus her school payments.

Then in November I lost a contract that I had been working on for 18 months. It's along story, but basically I was told two days before I was scheduled to start the project that the owners had decided to go with someone else. This was after 18 months of working hand-in-hand with them, helping to design and coordinate the project, and consulting. I had a bid of 70k for 6-8 weeks of work, using 3 of the highest qualified installers in the Colorado industry...guys who have--like myself--over 15 years in the industry specializing in high-end custom homes. Then at the last moment I got a phone call saying "well this crew over here said they'd do it in 3 weeks for 25k".

I did my research and found out that the "crew" was all immigrants (legal or not, I didn't delve that deep), and they had a crew of 8 guys compared to my 3. Eight guys who had little/no experience in the field, but because they can get in and do the job for less than half the price and in half the time, the signed contract doesn't mean squat anymore. Nobody cares if the workers are legal or not, because money talks.

Now, I could have taken it to court and probably won something, because there was paperwork involved. But after all those years in the industry, and specifically after two years of busting my ass for little/no pay, I figured out that basically I could go work for UPS as a warehouse worker and make the same amount of money I made in 2007, including full benefits for myself and my wife. And with the recession only getting worse, we started to look at our options. My wife was (and still is) a full time student, but she owned an apartment free and clear back in her home country of Bulgaria...specifically in the capital city, Sofia. We spent a month of looking at all of our options and decided...let's move overseas.

I've never been happier. Writing had been a passion of mine for years, something I had delved into on a part-time basis before, but had never taken up as a career. Last year was a bit rough (2008) because I literally stepped into the industry with no previous experience. I don't have a college degree, and I didn't graduate high school. I'm a tradesman by training, a journeyman craftsman, and despite the fact that my average wage for the majority of my career was in excess of 60k a year (for 6-7 months of work...nothing to sneeze at IMO), most people looked at me with curious disbelief when I applied for writing positions. Still, I took what I knew (video games and MMORPGs, as well as my interior design/construction background) and found a couple of start-up companies that were willing to hire someone with little/no writing experience because my experience within the fields was enough to give them pause.

Now, as I move into 2009, I'm hitting all the milestones I set for myself back in 2008. I have regular part-time work from a couple of content generation sites in the UK, and while it's not exactly high paying, I'm still somewhat of a low man on the totem pole. And the way I look at it is...at least I have a job, unlike the millions of Americans who are being laid off every month. And not only that, but I get to work from the comfort of my home. I've sold one short story professionally, and I've had the time to devote to what it is I always wanted to do: write. I've got half a dozen short stories completed at present and three of them are in circulation looking for a home. I'm over 60k words into my first novel, and moving into the second part this March. It'll probably end up around 150-180k words, or at least that's what my rough outline shows. I'm getting regular work e-mailed to me from my content generation sites, and I'm always on the lookout for more clients.

At the end of the day, we'll be lucky if we make 20k USD this year between us. But I look at it this way...our home is paid for. We only have 500 USD a month in living expenses/bills. I'm only 29 years old. I don't have to work physically anymore. Both of us have steady part-time jobs. She loves her school, and I love my writing. I wake up every morning looking forward to the day ahead. I've always been a fairly positive thinker, and despite my lack of formal education I have always been successful at every single thing I have ever put my mind to. I have no doubts that my writing career will prove to be the same, and if early 2009 is any indication, I am right on track for the milestones I set for myself. I had a goal of being established as a freelancer by 2009, and I now have steady work. I said I would sell at least one short story by 2009, and I did. I said I would have my book finished in 2009, and I will.

Money does not equal happiness. It can make life easier, but all those years I spent in construction I was never this happy. I had to get up at 4 a.m. to be in Denver by 6 most mornings, and I didn't get home until 7 or 8 at night. I was tired all the time. Dirty. Worn out. Physically spent. Now, I get up around 8 or 9, I work out for about an hour, then I do my paying projects for 3-4 hours, after which I spend 2-3 hours working on my personal projects...either the book or stories. And I'm blissfully happy. I attribute most of that to the wonderful woman by my side who has been so supportive over the years, but in some measure it also can be attributed to being able to work in a field that I truly enjoy. The money may not be the best, but the old saying "the world is what you make of it" pretty much rings true, regardless of your circumstances.

The moral of this rambling it this, I suppose: belief in yourself will lead to eventual success, regardless of the field in which you find yourself. Doing what your passions leads you to do is what brings about true happiness, so if you find yourself in a position where you are unhappy...change your circumstance. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.