There comes a point in time in our lives where we need to sit down and ask ourselves whether we are on the right path for us. I implore you to sit down and ask yourself. “Should money really be the motive?” I know we all need to eat. But should the chasing of money be the best way to go about it? Here are five reasons why money isn’t the motive and what you should be chasing instead.
Your Passion – It is a rare soul that finds themselves doing what they love. Most of us are stuck in a dead-end job that we don’t care about, doing things that we don’t care about, and interacting with people we don’t care about. This is by far the saddest predicament one can find themselves. Being numb to your surroundings 35+ hours a week is a hell that most wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy. So why do we accept that as a way of life for ourselves?
The Solution – Find a way to make your passion a source of income. First off, I want to reveal two secrets about success that most people won’t tell you. The first is that most of the wealthiest people in the world are entrepreneurs. If you have dreams of owning a mansion one day, working for someone else probably isn’t the best way to go. The second is that these people more often then not were passionate about something and then decided to start a business around that something. If they can do it you can do it too!
There Is Never Enough – There is no way to soften the blow for this one. It all boils down to human nature. For most of us there will never ever be enough money in our bank accounts to satisfy our wants. It is easy to say, “I’ll retire when I make a million.” But when that time comes you realize you want a five-million-dollar mansion to go with that car you just bought. This concept even works on a smaller scale. How many of you were happy with your raise this year? No matter where you stand in terms of performance, chances are you wanted and or expected a higher raise to go with that paycheck of yours. The biggest reason is that you subconsciously value your time more than anyone ever will.
The Solution – Learn to separate a need from a want. This can be challenging but it is important to prioritize your life. Once you can identify what you want from what you need you will learn to be happy with what you have. I know it is cliché but money really can’t buy happiness. Happiness is something that you must create from within. The first step to achieving this happiness is understanding who and what brings a smile to your face. Eventually, you can figure out how much you absolutely need to maintain that smile. You’d be surprised how little money it takes to be happy.
Money Value of Time – No the sub heading for this point was not a typo. I hope most of you a familiar with the concept known as the time value of money. This concept states that money today is more valuable than money promised in the future. This is because money today can be used to gain interest or other capital gains, while money in the future is subjected to inflation. The concept that is dubbed money value of time is what I’d like to take a few moments to discuss. How much is your time worth? What really is the difference between someone paying you 11.50 to scrape vomit off the floor and 11.50 to work in an office building? Either way you are giving your time up for a piece of paper that is used to purchase goods and services. If someone can rent you at that price, how much is it to purchase you? Doesn’t everyone have a price? Essentially as a society the mental shackles that were once based on race have been changed to mental shackles based on class. Notice how adamant the rich are about not wasting their time, that is one of the few things you can’t replace.
The Solution – You need to start valuing your time and saying no to the things that aren’t beneficial to you. It is perfectly ok to say that you can’t stay when your boss tries to pressure you into clocking overtime. You have your passion to rush home to work on! Maybe you need to assess the company you keep and tell them no you can’t hang out because you have other things you need to take care of. There is nothing wrong with valuing your time above everything else, if you don’t then who will?
It Doesn’t Travel – No matter what your beliefs are about the afterlife, your riches won’t be coming with you when you pass on. You can possess all the money in the world but it won’t matter one bit when you’re put in the ground. Having a good sense of reality can really put things into perspective. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind you? Do you want to be so focused on chasing money that you let the beauty of life pass you by?
The Solution – Focus on living in the moment. When you focus on living in the moment you end up changing your perspective for the better. Ultimately, it becomes easier to appreciate the little things in life that take your breath away. You will see the beauty in things that you once took for granted. You begin to appreciate the people around you because you can recognize things in them that you value in yourself.
Self-Improvement – If you’re a crappy person while poor then you will probably be an even crappier person when you strike it rich. Chasing money usually causes one to head down a dark path that requires them to live a parasitic lifestyle. A lifestyle where they feed off other people to achieve their goals. Additionally, it is easy to become manipulative and selfish when you get into the habit of thinking “money over everything” and “money is the motive”.
The Solution – Self-improvement ought to be the goal of anyone seeking to live a joy fulfilled life. Studies show that our brain releases feel good chemicals when we learn a new skill. Leveling up constantly is a great way to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle. This goes twice fold when choosing a career. It is important to choose a career path where you are learning something new on a consistent basis. If you are stuck in a position where everything you are doing is mundane and repetitive then I implore you to seek change.
Conclusion – Changing your mindset isn’t something that happens overnight, but it is something that can be done with the right steps. When creating your personal paradise it is important that you take a serious look at your actions and analyze what you can do to better serve your higher purpose. If you enjoyed this useful post please like, subscribe, and share!
“Time ceased being money the moment it began being happiness.” – Negus Lamont