A dangerous idea from the financial world is the notion of “net worth”. Mathematically, net worth is the difference between your financial assets and financial liabilities. However the obsession with money causes people to think of it as the success measure their lives, much like GDP has become the success measure for nations.
A tiny bit of introspection will expose the ridiculousness of the idea that the success of your life can be condensed into digits in bank accounts. Yet the effect of this realization is transient and does not dissuade most from the endless quest to make more. In that race to go higher in this artificial wealth scoreboard, people sacrifice their health, time with their loved ones, hobbies and mental peace.
As you go through your life, be financially savvy, negotiate the right salary, earn more than you spend. However, beyond that, don’t spend an iota of time thinking about your financial scorecard. It is not just a waste of time but it is harmful. It causes you to make some really bad trades. You will trade your time for a higher place in that artificial scorecard. You will trade your life for a race that was happening only in your mind.