Recently, I had a conversation with an investment funds manager that oversees millions of dollars for wealthy clients and he shared with me (off the record) that in his experience, most wealthy people aren’t happy. I was very surprised to hear that so many rich people are unhappy because of the common myth that money creates happiness.

His clients often ask his insight on how to live a more meaningful life. During the course of his career, he found that his unhappy clients were missing these four things:

• Someone to love

People are wired for connection and there’s a proven link between isolation and depression. I’ve written in previous posts about how having more meaningful relationships contributes to happiness.

• Something to believe in

There’s a part of us that needs fulfillment by believing in something bigger than ourselves. For me, it’s pursuing spirituality.

• Something to do

Every person has a purpose and gets a since of accomplishment from doing something that makes an impact.

• Something to look forward to

In every stage of life, there’s an element of hope that comes from having something in the future we enjoy that motivates us to get out of the bed in the morning such as a vacation, spending time with family, retirement, achieving things on a bucket list, etc.

The primary lesson I learned from this conversation, is that when people spend most of their time chasing wealth and neglect the other areas of life that truly matter, the end result is unhappiness. Instead, pursue the four things that contribute to happiness; meaningful relationships, something to believe in, purpose, and something to look forward to.