What brings you joy?

To kick start the discussion, I suppose I'll start with some observations of my time working in a BB M&A group and the irony of choice paralysis in having "too much freedom". 

Personally, I grew up with very minimalist values and wasn't very impressed with most of the wealth signifiers in banking. Sure, I'll go invest in a designer suit since that's part of the job expense, but I never felt particularly "attached" to aspirational purchases of clothes, watches, sports cars, houses, etc. Even when visiting my MD's house or going to an exclusive rooftop bar with the big bosses who are bragging about their newfound membership in a high society club, everything felt rather hollow and boring, as if to say "you paid HOW many millions just for this?" I know real estate prices are insane anywhere near NYC, but it's rather sad to see a pretty normal/average suburban home that would probably cost <$500k where I'm from suddenly be priced at $5m+ in Greenwich.

At the very least, I feel that there's clearly a point of diminishing returns where prices rise 10x for something maybe only 5-10% better. At least in my case, I'm not motivated to try and spend a few more decades slaving away to buy essentially the same house just in a slightly better zip code. Perhaps this also stems from my pennypincher upbringing where money should first and foremost buy stability and freedom through passive income. While that's certainly the right way to go, it's not exactly very exciting to stare at a vanguard account slowly creep upwards (similar to how my senior MD mentor once described money as just "keeping score" in the game of life, where increments no longer have any tangible impact on your daily life). I'm sure plenty of fellow bankers might understand once you no longer bother checking when/if your paycheck clears, and when an extra 10k-20k doesn't really move the needle (at least in most years when 20k isn't half the entire associate bonus!)

I certainly understand just how privileged it is to be able to sleep in until noon, not have to work, and be able to travel anywhere/afford most things, the question then becomes "what actually is worthwhile"? Having met and befriended actual trust fund kids in college, I saw how many suffered from abject boredom that they constantly fought to drown out (hobbies, partying, substances, chasing prestige/status, etc). Perhaps the best parallel is similar to playing a video game like GTA with an infinite money hack enabled: while it's initially a nice power trip, suddenly the game has no more stakes, there's no point doing missions for money/experience, and the sandbox quickly becomes boring since there's no more motivating factor. In an ironic sense, we all hate to be enslaved by debt, yet even video games (from Animal Crossing to Pikmin) always start you off with tons of debt just so that you have motivation to go out into the world and play the game. While it's not ideal to have that weighing down on you, perhaps that is the kick in the pants we unfortunately need to stay motivated? 

Perhaps it all goes back to Succession's famous quote about the "poorest rich man in America". I'm starting understand those who talk about how even the finest meals eventually start to taste dull, favorite hobbies become boring, luxury first-class travel becomes a chore, and material possessions only become a burden. Thinking about "next steps" in a post-retirement life, I'm struggling to see the appeal of lazing around a luxury cruise or lounging around on a tropical beach somewhere with a cocktail in hand. While it can certainly be a momentary escape alongside some fancy purchases and world travel, I feel that it quickly becomes a similarly hedonistic path as "coke and hookers" where you have no choice but to continue "upping the dose/chasing that high due" amid rapidly increasing tolerance. When you have the freedom to do anything/go anywhere, sometimes it's hard to get the motivation to do anything at all (which is a surprisingly common trend, albeit among a very small sample size of those I know who have been retired-since-birth). 

I'm always thinking about things/experiences that innately bring joy just for existing (from nice tasting food, to the cuteness of a fluffy pet, nice stories/music that resonate with you, and perhaps any substances that fire off happy chemicals in the brain). Perhaps I have yet to truly find some form of deeper "passion" or "purpose", but it's certainly something I'm trying to understand (and why I hope to see others' thoughts on the matter). I'm not really a spiritual person, but I did take a Buddhism course which talked about "renouncing desires" as perhaps something similar to what I'm experiencing.