How many times have you heard someone say
If I had his money I’d do things my way
Hmm, but little they know
Hmm, it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind
Hmm, once I was wading in fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed of to get a start in life’s game
But suddenly it happened
Hmm, I lost every dime
But I’m richer by far with a satisfied mind
Hmm, when my life is over and my time has run out
My friends and my love ones
I’ll leave there’s no doubt
But one thing for certain
When it comes my time
I’ll leave this old world with a satisfied mind -song “A Satisfied Mind”, originally written by Joe “Red” Hayes and Jack Rhodes
“When we upgrade something in our lives, the thing we used to be satisfied with is no longer satisfying. That’s the nature of an upgrade. After a certain point, the only thing we’re buying is the way the upgrade makes us feel in the moment, not our satisfaction going forward. At some point, the best upgrade is the realization that we have enough.”
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” -Epictetus
All the money, fame, success, pleasure and power in the world doesn’t hold a candle to having a satisfied mind.
Kurt Vonnegut knew the secret when he talked to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was…
…knowing that he had enough.
P.S. – The song “A Satisfied Mind” is one of the most covered songs in music history, but the Jeff Buckley version is my all-time favorite. It is truly sublime. Click Here to listen.
The Vs. Studio Blog 
Hi Johnny, a minor typo – Vonnegut’s conversation was with Joseph Heller, not F. Scott Fitzgerald. The idea you mention can be traced to the conversation between Alexander the Great and Shimon Hatzadik – the High Priest from the Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem. It is reported by Josephus Flavius and is also enshrined in the Babylonian Talmud. To Alexander’s question “Who is wealthy?” the priest answers: One who is satisfied with his lot”. Supposedly, this conversation took place in 332 BC. The wisdom is certainly consonant with the teachings of the stoics and was repeated by Joseph Heller to Kurt Vonnegut. And now it is repeated by you. Thank you!
LikeLike