I had an internship with a trading firm on Wall Street last semester that lasted from August until mid-December. Let me tell you; if you want to be surrounded by money, there is no better place to go than the heart of the financial district in New York City. I met millionaires, entrepreneurs, and even driven young analysts of top investment banks that were just trying to work their way up. Why would anyone want to be an investment banker and slave over excel spreadsheets 100+ hours a week? For the money; DUHHHH!

Let’s set the record straight here. Money will buy you a great time; laughs, good feelings, parties, temporary friends, adrenaline, fancy cars, trendy clothing, and much more. You give me $100,000 and a weekend in Vegas and I promise you I won’t stop laughing or smiling for the duration of the trip. The weekend would include strippers, alcohol, drugs, and parties; maybe even some midgets if we’re feeling adventurous. Go ahead and judge me all you want; blog about it if you have to.

Money is great; but the one thing it can’t buy you is happiness. That is a statement I always brushed off as a myth. I was always a firm believer that money would make me happy and allow me to follow my dreams; but then I spent a few months on Wall Street…surrounded by the richest most miserable people in the world. I met traders that considered $5,000 dollars in their pockets a normal day. I was introduced to a man who made $350,000 dollars in four hours. I have heard some of the craziest party-related stories you couldn’t even dream of. DRUGS?!?! Well if you’re into that, the highest quality shit is on Wall Street, not college campuses.

At first I was intrigued by the stories of the glamour; the fancy cars, the crazy vacations, the parties. These guys were legitimately living the life! They all seemed like they were the happiest people in the world. And then you see it; the unhappiness in their eyes and the way they speak. The weird inflections in their voice and their spastic impulsive actions are subtle cries for help. The flashier they are with their money, the more they’re hurting inside.

• What good is five million dollars if your wife has divorced you and your kids hate you?
• Who cares if you make $25,000 a week and your only glimpse of happiness comes from a fine white powder?
• You and your boss were best friends, but now you’re out of work because you cost him too much money.
• Your friends tell you how awesome you are and how much they love you but they disappear once your tab is closed.
• Congratulations, you worked your way up the ladder and now you’re a partner of your firm; but you sleep alone at night.
• Your father just passed away and you realize you never spoke to him because you were too caught up with work. How much of that hard earned cash will bring him back?
• You have dined at the finest restaurants in the world, but you’re so unhealthy that another ten years would be a miracle…and you’re only forty.
• What good are all of your condos and mansions around the world? You can’t travel because your wife has cancer and has to remain in the hospital.
• You bought your son a $100,000 car so he could love you for a split second. But he was going so fast when he crashed it that it was only a split second before he was dead.

If your “big dream” is to make enough money to buy a Ferrari you can go to a place in Chester, NJ where they will let you drive one as fast as you want for a few hundred dollars. Go and get it out of your system. If your “grand plan” is to own beautiful condos and villas around the world you should go rent one out for a week and stay in it by yourself; the see if it’s still a good plan.

Money will create the illusion of happiness, but it is not until we lose things that are important to us that we realize money is irrelevant. We take all things relevant for granted because money can blind us. We fight for the dollar all our lives and only after it is too late are we willing to burn it to save what we lost.