A lot goes into “and be happy.”
I am in a position where I am the only bread winner in my family, for a few unavoidable reasons. So, if I were to chose “barely make any money and be happy,” I would very likely end up unhappy as a result of other things my family would have to go without. Maybe not, but I really do think so.
So, personally, I go for the money. I need to be grateful though, and have some rough ridin' humility and be thankful that I am in a position to do that. Instead, I am always at risk of being resentful about it...I really, really, really dislike that about myself. That’s why I am posting about it...need to remind myself that I should be honored to be able to provide for my family, and not petty and selfish.
Having said that, if I were 25 and kidless, I would do something fun. When I was 25, I was a goddamn chowder keg of anxiety and fear, and needed an awful damn lot of self medication to get by. I had it all wrong, man.