Ever since I discovered the concept of money, I was taught that there was never enough. I grew up with a single, immigrant mother who worked as a waitress, often clocking in 12-hour days just to bring home a paltry $50-60 dollars.

To clarify, I never grew up feeling poor. My mother did an amazing job providing me all that I wanted at the sacrifice of her own penny pinching. But ever since that very young age, I knew having enough money was a problem we faced, and I made it my goal to earn “enough” —ideally, more than enough— to erase all of our problems.

Thus began my journey to have money, and ideally lots of it. And yes, I believe it will ulimately make me happy. There are, however, a few rules to follow and consequences to deal with:

Have a non-materialistic goal

I didn’t want to live the grueling life I grew up watching my mom endure through, earning $22,000 a year, raising a child, and still somehow putting enough savings away to buy a modest, two bedroom townhouse and a car.

To this day, my mom still calls every night to report to me her earnings for the day. It breaks my heart every time that I do not yet make enough to put her in early retirement so that she no longer has to work so damn hard for so little.

My purpose for pursuing an abundance of wealth is to ultimately provide for my family, a goal that is not too unlike many other folks out there.

Rather than focusing on what money can buy, ask yourself, what do you hope to achieve with money?

Be aware of the consequences

You may have assumed from the title of this post that my reasons for pursuing money are due to my own desires to feel accomplished, prove myself to the world and to own nice clothes, shoes and have Michelin rated meals.

You were correct. Those desires do indeed exist, unfortunately, as a byproduct of pursuing money. I’m not trying to teach any lessons, nor is this any argument for what’s right and wrong. After many years of self-analysis, I’ve learned that pursuing money doesn’t come without its repercussions. You can’t properly earn it in droves if you don’t orient your career in a very money-minded way. That means sacrificing fun, relationships and possibly even your passion.

Money also doesn’t really feel like it’s there unless you can spend it. While I didn’t go straight from Forever 21 to Ferragamo, I did start developing a craving for nicer things. Where I used to set the price limit on a nice piece of clothing at $40, it has gone up to $100 to $200 and now, upwards of $300.

There are consequences in all aspects of your life to confront. When it comes to relationships, you will never be able to put up with a deadbeat boyfriend/girlfriend who doesn’t match you in ambition. Nor will you be able to justify taking a low paying job for the sake of fun, passion or fulfillment. None of those things will ever make sense.

Spend your money for pride and joy

My chase was born by my desire to provide for my family. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted by wanting to own nice things, to eat like a food critic, and traveled on student loan money as if it were free — things that detracted me from my original purpose. And it leaves me burning with discontent.

The one area of my life where I never feel guilty spending money, and actually makes me feel happy is the check I send my mom every month. It’s nothing spectacular at the moment, just enough for her to work a few days less a month. A small accomplishment in my ultimate goal of providing for her completely, nevertheless, this is a feat I am proud of, and the only place where spending money doesn’t feel like spending money. This is where I find joy — being able to see her less stressed out about not having enough, less afraid of losing her job, and finally able to enjoy nice meals out, new clothes, and a sense of security.

Whoever said money doesn’t bring you happiness most certainly did not spend it wisely. I believe there are certain things to spend money on that actually bring you endless amounts of joy and pride, and it most certainly is worth the chase.