a mate of mine is never satisfied with his lot. he has a business, family, big house, toys, holiday home, nice cars, always whining though, always wanting this or that or the other. it's always – i'll be happy if this if that, when this when that.

is there a cure?

he's had serious health issues before, that hasn't even made him change.

should I just kill him?

by killing him it would save us from you (but not recomended)

Something's not fulfilling in his life, and he's replacing it with "Stuff"

people live within thier means.
ive never met a happy rich person.
driving a flash car doesnt full fill ones life, nor does having a boat.

mo money, mo problems?

i cant say i have a hankering for anything like that.

comfy warm house, a reliable car, enough money to splash on mediochre bikes from time to time, and im content.

He'd probably not have a (successful?) business, big house, et al. without his drive for more. Sounds like it is in his nature to strive to 'improve' his lot, and would therefore be difficult to change.

I've met happy, rich people but that's by the by.

Some people are just never happy. Always looking for a change/something else that will make them happy. Some eventually realise that only they can make themsleves happy and that nothing/no one else ever really will.

i agree, some people are like that, generaly manager types.

are they successful managers because they have that unsettled feel
or are they unsettled because they are managers?

either way, cant say im a fan.

I stand by: big car, little willy (maybe thats why hes not fullfilled in life?) (a bit OT, not implying your mate has little man syndrome)

a member of my family suffers from this

A yearning for something more than what you've got drives us all on to achieve, to win, to earn.

The less you're happy with what you've got, the more likely you are to work harder to get more.

If you don't have that yearning for something better, you're more likely to have "enough" already, and more leisure time to enjoy it.

I think for people like your mate, the material wealth comes because of dissatisfaction, not the other way round.

I stand by: big car, little willy

Then you're a generalising idiot! Someone has differing taste to me, they must have problems….. 🙄

Cspt jon beat me to it, as did everyone else.

I guess I'm one of them non-typing people!

i wouldn't say he's the typical type A businessman

i would also have thought that he'd have clicked by now that 'things' aren't making him happy

i've hinted that he needs to spend his cash on experiences but he's a bit fearful – 'what if' etc

its a bit sad to see

he sold his jetski after I went out in a force 5 on it – his wife said he'd never have done that and was pissed off that I did.

anyway, he's a nice bloke, but his moaning is getting a bit annoying now…

Force 5? Thats a mild breeze?! Its fairly regular that people go kitesurfing in a 7 with an 8 sq m kite!

Sounds like he needs a friend to drag him into things.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with having a lot of money, this sort view is so common in modern western society and utterly ridiculous. We are brought up through a school system and in a society which compels people to remain as a worker bee and not break out of the mould, ensuring the privileged few who have worked out how to make money can continue to do so.

Money is NOT the root of all evil and having money does not make you a bad person. There are bad people, and dissatisfied people in walks of life regardless of their wealth.

ditch him.

Re the money, I don't think it's the amount I think it's the love of that causes problems.

Then you're a generalising idiot!

Yup 🙂

makes me feel better at least.
its nothing to do with them having problems, i just have an unfounded utterly unreasonable hatred for anyone who feels the need for a 2.5 tonne 200bhp car.

i find them obtuse and antisocial

(i hate 4x4s, no i dont read the guardian)

it makes me smile to imagine that they must be compensating for something.

(again, not refering to iDaves mate, getting carried away on a tangent)

more thinking of a guy i once met, who was an "adreneline freak" (in his own words) and had bought himself a power boat, motor cross bikes, enduro bikes, a big rangerover sport, a flash car…..

it then came up i was a mountain biker, which was met with "oh yeah, im a mountain bike freak too, ive got 4 (mild willy wave)"

they were however 4 hideous hideous bags of toss, which made me smile.
i got the feeling that when his sprockets wore out, he bought a new bike, off the shelf, rode it till it creaked a bit, then bought another one.

fine if youve got the money, but still a tosser in my mind 🙂

….sorry, i appear to have gone off on one!

Definitely off on one. I know plenty of well off people who aren't tossers and plenty of 4×4 owners who are careful considerate drivers. The stereotyping really is just a sign of lack of imagination and open mindedness based on a few incidents and group hysteria. There are idiots in all walks of life, unsatisfied people of all income levels. Treat everyone as you find them, there's a good chance they're perfectly nice people.

It's always nice to chuckle at someone who seems to think they're good at everything but in actual fact isnt, but you can't assume everyone is like that! If you met me in the pub I'm sure you'd get on really well with me, if you saw me sat in my car you'd hate me – not much sense there is there?

i have absolutely nothing against wealth, money, whatever. i just think its better spent on doing things rather than owning things

Give me the money!