It seems like most that play poker professionally are just as miserable as many with a 9-5 job. Why is that? Even those who's life roll is barely affected by down swings. They aspire to climb the stakes higher and higher instead of being happy with their current stakes. If you finally make it as one of the best in the world, then what? What if reaching the goal feels just as hollow as the journey? What is money? Why does it matter, being the best? Don't live for poker, live for real happiness. It is just a game after all. I really hate poker sometimes, but then again...I will be the best one day. Sigh.

Some are happy. The ones that are unhappy tend to complain the loudest though.

it's called ambition, not unhappiness. Would you want to earn the same wage until you retire?

What are you using to form your opinion?

Anyway, it's pretty easy to see what the problem is.

1) most people go into professional play prematurely
2) most people are terrible at managing money

Since most can't exist in each group independently, then you must have a subset of people that are both terrible at managing money and go into professional play prematurely.

If you look at the average person's debt-to-income ratio, it's really not a poker problem. Take those people and put them into an occupation that requires disciplined money management to earn money, and they are done before they have even started, they just don't know it yet.

Will you fall into one of those groups? Yeah, probably, at least group 1 is apparent in your post.

What to do? Crush poker while you have a job. When crushing makes you so much that the job is costing you money, quit job and play poker full-time. If you are unhappy at any time or project that you will be unhappy doing this the rest of your life, then go back to 9-5.

Logic fail in the OP is that not everyone with a normal job is miserable. Makes the rest rather meaningless.

There are many reasons why poker players turn pro, a common one that I've seen on here is that it is preferrable to having a 9-5 job, that's why I mentioned it. Of course plenty of people are happy with their 9-5 jobs too. It's easy to understand why those who play at a higher limit than their skill level are unhappy, same for those with poor money management. There are also successful players that seem to be unhappy. I was wondering why that is.

There are plenty of unhappy people in all walks of life. Poker is no exception.

Because people don't understand what happiness is before they get there?

If you enjoy doing something it doesn't mean you're going to enjoy doing it 24/7 365 days a year.

i'm very happy and consider myself incredibly fortunate that doesn't mean i don't get down every now and then because of poker

There are wealthy people who are unhappy. You can find many of them all ****ed up at the Betty Ford Center. How come you don't wonder why that is?

Making a bunch of money sitting behind cards isn't exactly a fulfilling life; it's a means to an end. If one doesn't have some other meaningful reasons for getting out of bed each day, money and cards alone might not do it long-term.

????

Seems this applies to everything. Just insert another thing in place of poker...

I know people that work a 9-5 job at Intel who hate their lives and I know people who work a 9-5 job at Chili's and they can't wait to wake up and start their day.

Depends on the type of person you are

Did you personally poll a statistically reliable sample of professional poker players upon which to base this assertion?