Submitted by James Folsom on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 19:46
It’s the age old question, why do people need to “win the rat race?” Why do so many people feel that happiness is all about the bling?
Don’t get me wrong, there is not a thing wrong with excelling and achieving great things. With that many times comes great wealth. That’s fine. But for many people it seems money is the main motivator. I like to think that most successful people got where they are because they have a passion for what they do and would do it even if there was little or no money involved. I would like to think that a great doctor got into medicine because he loves to help people. I would like to think that great pro athletes would play their games even if they were not getting mega rich.
Love of money vs. love of the game
If money and things are your only motivation, then you set yourself up for great disappointment. All these things can be taken away in an instant. If we have not learned that lesson in the last four or five years, then I don’t know what it will take. How many Americans have lost nearly everything they worked for? If the stuff and the money was the only reason you got up and went to work, then how empty you must feel right now. Losing all your money is extremely difficult. I know from experience. But money can be made again someday.
What good does it do to have a bunch of the newest and nicest “bling”? Will it make people love you more? Does it make you more important? I’ve known people who it seems all they care about is what they can go out and buy. Now, I have never really been in a position to spend money on whatever I want. So maybe if I suddenly found myself wealthy I would be tempted to go on a shopping spree. But I doubt it.
If you worked to actually accomplish something, and money was just part of it, then if you lose all your money, they can’t take away the accomplishments. Buildings I helped build are still standing even though the money is gone. I can still drive by them and say “that was one of mine”.
You can't take it with you
Money and things will eventually all be gone. It may not be until you die, but when that day comes, none of it is going with you. Do not get caught up in the trap of trying to accumulate as much stuff as you can. Now I’m not saying to never spend your money on nice things. If you have money, go ahead and enjoy it. I see nothing wrong with living in a nice house with nice things. But don’t work yourself silly with this as your only motivation.
The people in your life are what is really important. Spend time with your loved ones. Some day they will be gone too. Unlike money, once they are gone, you can never get them back again.
So if you find yourself working yourself silly, and you realize your loved ones are growing farther apart from you, it might be time to ask yourself if buying that new car or all those new gadgets are worth it. Maybe it’s time to start putting some money in to a sock in your sock drawer and start making plans to cut back on the stuff. That way maybe you can also cut back on the time you spend earning money to buy all that stuff and start spending time actually, I don’t know, living your life?
Living Lives We're "Supposed" to Live
People are getting too caught up in what they're "supposed" to do, or rather what they think they're supposed to do. As Americans, we have the freedom to do whatever we want, but most of us feel as though we have to conform to a certain mold of what's expected of us. We live our whole lives trying to meet expectations, both our own and others' for us. Money is how we do that.
We don't work because we love it; we work because it's what we're supposed to do. We work to get the money we're supposed to make so that we can live the life that we're supposed to live. Another part of living this life is always having the best of everything. Americans keep wanting bigger, better, grander things in their lives. Because of this, we often lose sight of the little things. We get to caught up in trying to make more money and trying to meet expectations or deadlines that we forget to take a moment, step back and try and figure out whether or not we're happy with how we're living our lives. We forget that we can't take it with us.
Unfortunately, most people do
Unfortunately, most people do not LOVE what they do and would do it regardless of pay. There is a need to do better than our parents and fit in with the families we see on tv. Everyone for some reason has the "keeping up with joneses" built into them. You can just either choose to go along with that programming or not. Personally, I have seen what being driven by money can do to you. You die in a big house with nice things that you never got to enjoy because you were out working 24/7 for it. The rat race, its not worth it. Just be proud when you say what you do for a living regardless of what it is and as long as you can meet the basic needs of your family then you are a winner.
Don't lose track of what's important.
I just completely agree with this whole article! There is nothing wrong with money or success as long as you don't lose track of what's really important. Family, fun, religion, love & happiness are all more important in my book.
That is why I really respect people who choose idealistic but very low paid professions. I think they find true happiness.