An unintended result, but never mind. The point I was trying to make was that one cannot equate high income to long hours on the job. There are professionals who earn high incomes without working themselves to the bone.

Being too materialistic is not good of course, but many people work hard because they want a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Let me elaborate what this meant for me. We have 2 children, our aged parents and a maid. We used to stay in a 4 room HDB and don't own a car. It was cramped in the house. Going out together meant taking 2 taxis! Eating in hawker centers was difficult because most don't have tables with enough seats. Going to places of interest in Singapore was costly affairs to us. So what do we do? We cannot just say don't go out, and let the world passes us by. Our children also complained that their friends did this and that, visited this and that country for their holidays.

So we worked hard, save and invest. Now we stay in a 4 bedroom condo, own an MPV and a saloon car. We eat in restaurants because we can always sit all together in a table, travel all together in comfort and privacy, holiday overseas and exposed our children to other cultures and people. They are definitely richer for the experience and exposure. We are also closer to each other as we do more things together.

Yes, having money did wonders for us. Do not slack and take the easy path. Your children, especially if in their teens and older don't actually appreciate slacking parents. In fact, these children are embarrassed of their slacker parents.