Do you know the Dalai Lama's perspective on making money? He believes happiness at work depends on our attitude. Most of us work with the aim of making money. This is quite logical, especially if we have a family to support. But we have to make sure that we don't become victims of never-ending greed. If pursuing financial gain gives us the sense of happiness and fulfilment that we are seeking in life, there could be some justification for becoming 'slaves of money'. However, it usually is not the case. If we make $100,000, we will probably want $1 million. When we have $1 million, we may want $10 million. The target is constantly moving and is almost impossible to hit. Power is another motivation to make money. The Dalai Lama believes that genuine power results from the respect that people give us. Real power has to do with our ability to influence others. One good example is the Mahatma Gandhi. He had great power but he had no money. Power based on how much money we have is superficial. If we lose our money, we lose our power as well. We also automatically assume that money can solve all problems. According to a New York Times report in 2002, although real income had risen more than 16 per cent during the past 30 years in the United States, the number of Americans who described themselves as 'very happy' had actually fallen from 36 per cent to 29 per cent. Do you intend to make your parents happier this year? The Dalai Lama believes in the development of inner values, such as compassion, tolerance, affection and sharing. Our attitudes towards money should be more important than the amount we make. As always, in our pursuit of happiness, our inner resources assume a greater role than our material resources, unless we exist in extreme poverty. Next time you ask your parents to buy expensive items such as MP3 players or designer clothes, try to think about compassion, tolerance, affection and sharing. Dr Sze is the president of the Society of Registered Financial Planners If you have a money-related question, send it to yp@scmp.com with Money Matters as the subject
