The ROI of happiness

I can’t remember when I first started thinking about the return on investment (ROI) of my actions—or even how I learned about the concept. Before I knew it, I was calculating everything, measuring its ROIs against my future goals.

What would I gain from this? What would be the most beneficial for me? Comparisons, comparisons, comparisons.

It didn’t take long for everything to feel like a loss or a liability. The only logical thing left was to invest in myself—specifically, in my productivity.

So that’s all I did—work, work, work. My sole focus was on maximizing productivity with my resources: time, effort, and money.

I didn’t allow myself to take breaks. No playing games, no hanging out with friends, not even sleeping enough. The ROIs weren’t good enough for those activities—or so I thought. Between 2017 and 2019, work consumed my life.

But then, one day, I realized how sad, lonely, and empty my life had become. I had always believed I was making the right decisions—prioritizing ROI and investing in myself above all else.

Yet, I wasn’t happy.

I learned the hard way that relationships need nurturing. The less attention I gave to my friends, the less they cared about me, too. It’s a two-way street.

I learned that health can’t be sacrificed. Sure, I exercised regularly because I saw the ROI of a healthy body, but sacrificing sleep left me constantly tired, prone to illness, and unable to sustain exercise for long.

In the end, my mental health suffered the most. Too stressed to socialize, too exhausted to exercise, too busy working to enjoy life. My obsession with ROI had taken over everything. Productivity became my sole priority.

It took me time to change my habits, to stop feeling guilty about not being productive, and to start truly enjoying life.

To simply be.

Now, life is better. I no longer feel guilty when I’m not working or achieving something tangible. I don’t feel bad about sleeping when I’m tired or pausing work when I need a break.

Because, after all, happiness is a good investment.

I hope you find this insightful. Remember:

It's not going to be easy,
But it's not impossible.

Your friend,
Brian.