To say I would rather be happy than earn loads of money?

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I've been called unambitious, and lazy in the past, all because I don't want to climb the career ladder and progress. IMO, career progression brings responsibilities and stress.

I like working in general but I don't care about earning loads, just enough to pay the bills and have a little left over. And I manage despite not earning much. I have no wish to move up but it seems to be difficult for people to understand. I would even take a job with less money if it was something Id be happy in.

I would take happiness over everything. I would however advocate the virtue of saving and paying into pensions to ensure that you have the minimum required in retirement too.

I work in a difficult and stressful job because it pays well. I would love to do something else or nothing at all but I’m a single parent and feel the need to provide for my family. Also I was brought up poor so feel the need to save for my pension my kids future. I think the attitude you can just be poor and happy doesn’t work so much when you have dependents or don’t have anyone to financially depend on.

That being said, when I was young I worked in a developing country and I had very little. I was happy. But now I have responsibilities and worry about what will happen when I’m old.

I don't think you can make this choice if your lazy and unambitious, coasting through life in the first job you had could be seen as lazy and unambitious yes. On the other hand to be able to put happiness before money or career climbing would suggest to me that you have had enough working and life experience to know what makes you happy, how certain working environments suit you, what you would need to be happy etc.
I have worked many jobs, some well paid some not. I have been employed and an employer, I also now have a family. I have had such a varied life with this knowing the pros and cons of all my different experiences to now know what balance I'm working towards.
I am proud of what I've achieved I have a lot of experience to share with others, my kids have had the benefit of seeing me work hard and persevere etc.
I would now say that I want to be happy, I would work in Mcdonalds, I would clean I would do anything if it made me happy. I dont feel I have anything else to prove and financially I'm not great but in a good enough position to try and put happiness first.

I am not unambitious but have lived my life in a job I enjoy in a very low paid sector with no pension contributions until it became law, and then the minimum contribution by the organisation.

I did have my own modest pension but am now in tne last phase of my working life looking at a truly pathetic level of retirement income, and no way of supporting my kids or giving them a helping hand.

It is worth thinking about your future.

Doughnut it's definitely a job where you can get "peopled out" I think: we are massively more social now we are no longer working.

And yes, our business was based around managing a few contracts on % commission.

My 'status' comes from working for myself in a low key way and not being answerable to anyone.

I can't work for anyone, it doesn't suit me at all - I end up really disliking other people and their petty bullshit.

I'm very keen on having enough money to buy lunches out and any fripperies like constant hot chocolates from cafes and bits of stationery whenever I fancy it.

I grew up poor and having money for the above is really lovely. (Not one penny in savings or pensions though)

I do often reflect that it's a bit depressing that most people spend the majority of their life from adolescence to retirement age sitting in a chair. I guess that's why I find it hard to get satisfaction from this activity which pretty much steals the majority of my life.

It is not "sitting in a chair". That is a little reductionist. Maybe I should say I don't understand how someone can work in a field all day "not using their brain".

There is great freedom and happiness in having fuck off money and having transferable skills I can take to any job. I would feel insecure and trapped by a low paying (albeit easy) job.

I'd rather have a high paying easy job and then coast.

It is not "sitting in a chair". That is a little reductionist.

It's not just that, but most people in this country spend more days where they sit in a chair than doing anything else for the majority of their life.

I expect Einstein did most of his work sitting in a chair but it was hardly nothing