You know that saying, "good friends are the family you choose"? If you surround yourself with ladder-climbers, you can't help but inherit a bit of that mentality. But you don't HAVE to hang out with people who make wealth their primary objective in life, or who make you uncomfortable with their lifestyles.<p>Most of my good friends are working-class to lower-middle-class, and it's generally the case that the people who make just a bit more than needed (i.e., not impoverished, but steadily employed and just not earning much above minimum wage, but has stable shelter, food, occasional vacations, etc.) that are the happiest. They end up being the ones who chase their dreams and hobbies instead of a soul-crushing, burnout-inducing techbro career, who befriend and partner with well-balanced, interesting people with diverse hobbies, who love their pets and families and children and neighbors and communities... all the OTHER things outside of work that make life worth living.<p>Sure, a satisfying work life is important, but that can come in so many forms and not just compensation (i.e., being able to work on interesting problems, or having a great team/coworkers, good work-life balance)... as long as you get paid ENOUGH, amounts beyond that don't really add to happiness.<p>By contrast, as a rule, all the most miserable people I know (outside of severe addicts) are, well, rich. In a way, they are addicts too -- of capitalism. They get completely blinded by their pursuit of material wealth, big empty mansions, luxury cars with no coziness, manicured landscapes with no life. It's like they spent all that time (and more importantly, emotional energy) earning money that they don't really know what's worthwhile to spend it on, how to use it to actually pay for experiences of happiness (it's not automatic), or contribute to local communities. They just sit isolated in their designer castles, wondering why they have everything and nothing at the same time. It's lonely at the top...<p>IMO I don't think your lack of overwhelming material wealth is necessarily a problem. It's our toxic definition of "success" -- equating greed with happiness, when they are totally different -- that makes people feel "less than" when in reality they have so much and could have so much more. Don't chase the dollars that add up to nothing in the end, chase the moments and memories you'll remember well into your 90s. Just my 2 cents.