Expectations shape our relationship with money.

Not numbers. Not market returns. Not net worth statements.

Morgan Housel wrote, “If your expectations grow faster than money, you will never be happy with your money even when your wealth has grown significantly.”

This is the trap.

Your wealth grows, but your expectations grow even faster.

You once dreamed of making a certain amount. You reached it. Then, almost instantly, it wasn’t enough.

You upgraded your lifestyle. A bigger house. A nicer car. Fancier vacations. But now, the bar has moved again.

More is the new baseline.

Happiness remains just out of reach.

Money is supposed to give freedom. But if your expectations keep outrunning it, you never feel free.

You feel behind. Even when you are ahead.

The problem isn’t how much you have. It’s how much you think you need.

The wealthiest people in the world aren’t those with the most money. They are the ones whose expectations stay in check.

They define enough for themselves.

They don’t chase endlessly.

They use money as a tool, not as a scoreboard.

If you don’t control your expectations, they will control you.

And no amount of money will ever be enough.

Therefore one of the most important financial skill is getting the goalpost to stop moving…