Money. The goal of your 'pursuit of happiness?'
 

I worked for a company. This company not only treated me well but the work was great. I no longer work for them but still, I visit them often. Every time I go back they think I've come back to work and each time I wish that were the case. The only reason I left was 'for the money.' It was for good reason though, I was falling behind on my bills. The over-time had disappeared and I just really didn't make squat for pay as it was. Another job offer came about making roughly 40% more so I took it.

I regret it.

But everyday I look at the BMW I now drive and all of the other material things I own. Plus the fact that everyone I tell this story tells me if I were to go back to my old job that I would be a complete buffoon. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't.

I miss my old job. I miss my old boss. I miss the fact that everyone there realized my talent. I miss the fact that people respected me.

Right now I'm just a tool in a toolbox that they feel can be easily replaced but they are so wrong. My fellow employees know this and really don't want me to leave.

I am lost.

My dilemma is this; do I bite this .50 caliber bullet day-in and day-out and enjoy the fact that I can have all of these material things or do I ditch the material things and go back where I had enough to be happy and just wished for the frivolous shit? After all, it is just frivolous. Isn't it?

neither. Old relationships, be it a job, family, or love, never live up to your initial experience, its like forcing a sequel when the 1st movie was fine. Look at The Matrix, look at Pirates of the Carribean. Find out what you can do to move uP and become happier. moving down the ladder for the sake of chasing the ghost of an old memory isn't really going to put you in the exact same situation.

You may not be as fulfilled where you are now - but that doesn't mean you can or should try to go back to try to recapture it.. But, don't discount the possibility of moving forward to a new place to possibly find even greater enjoyment than you had at the previous place. Keep your eyes open and look forward, not back.

I agree with Shauk and Midnight. You're trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. Sorry, but you're better off figuring out your next step as opposed to retracing your old ones.

Personally, I look at the money I earn as much more than material things. My salary and bonuses take me closer to being able to early retirement. I can probably only do what I do for another 7-15 years (depending on market cycles), and I plan on being in a position where I'll never have to work another day in my life or worry about money again. At this point, it's an attainable goal and will allow me to accomplish the other things I want to do in life.

Answer the question of what it really is that you want out of life and then use your career to get closer to THOSE goals.

What you really want should be most important to you, Cavi Mike, since you are the center of your own universe. Maybe you could go for a drive and decide? Driving usually helps me imagine I have my thoughts in order.
2 cents: Money isn't everything and you can't take it with you: Happiness might be and you probably can.

I've seen several people return to the companies where I was working. None of them stayed for more than a year during their second stint.

I currently am on my second stint for the company I work for, I've been back almost 5 years. Then again I left the company for a very specific reason, and that issue no longer exists.

Money may not buy you happiness, but it certainly makes it easier. This may come off as overly materialistic, but in all honesty, nothing happens when you're broke and struggling to make ends meet.

Don't bother trying to recapture that lost glory, just enjoy your job and the 40% raise that came along with it. Or at the very least, enjoy the 40% raise.

Money is nice, but there is more important things in life. I used to not have a job, and it wasn't fun not having money. But I had plenty of time to do what I wanted. Now I have a job where I work 7 days a week, 70 hours a week sometimes, and it gets to you because you have no free time. The job is fun and the people I work with are perfect, but I would take a 20% pay cut if I was able to work 20% fewer hours.

Can you really enjoy life while you are constantly behind in your bills? In that situation there's really no other choice other than earning more income, or scaling back your lifestyle. Do you think a lower standard of living would have been a better choice for you?

Money can't make you happy but lack of money can make you miserable.

Someone once said:

"Money is the foreskin of the devil's cock."

For me money brings me choices. I get more choices when I have more money. I don't have to jump when my boss says how high when I don't have to worry that he controls my ability to survive paycheck to paycheck. I can say, "L:et me think about it and I'll get back to you." I don't live in fear of not paying my bills.

I didn't upgrade my life as my salary got upgraded. I drive 7 year old Neon with 35,000 miles on it.

But when the time comes to do things that I want to do, I do them without thinking too much about how much it costs because I gave myself the opportunity of choices.

Just like Jazz, I can decide better what to do about retirement, I don't think that I'm going to retire early, but I do believe that I will also have choices where I won't have to rely on government medicaid and social security programs.

money is my pursuit of choices and options.