- Geekmaster
- 2019-10-29 11:00:31
- 8 minute(s)
The Industrial Age Factory System designed work around making money. But it turns out people who have a reason to work that is bigger than making money are happier and make more money, too.
In the same way, beefed-up investment rounds hold the top-tier level of prestige in the startup world. After starting their businesses, many founders make a beeline for the closest angel or VC fund to close on the first of many investments, viewing each round as the finish line of its own race.
But, what isn’t discussed enough in the startup world is the importance of a laser-focus on developing a pipeline of real customers – the key to long-term success and revenue.
We have all been there (including myself), where we get stuck in a rut trying to make as much money as possible. Now, don’t get me wrong money is a fantastic resource but I am seeing a lot of people still fall into the money trap rather than what will help them be fulfilled.
If you can grasp the concept of making your dream come true rather than always chasing money, you will reach new levels of success.
Find Your Purpose
People who are purpose-oriented, might be the most valuable and highest potential segment of the workforce, regardless of industry or role.
They have defined their own Big Why: something that is bigger than making money, that they can never check off as complete. They are generally motivated by two things: personal fulfillment and serving others.
By every measure, they have better outcomes than their peers who are motivated by money and are focused on income.
- They are much more fulfilled at work
- They do better work and get higher evaluations
- They have much longer tenure in their companies
- They are much more likely to become leaders
People with a Big Why don’t need anyone to motivate them to be engaged. You really can’t motivate them. All you can do to them is keep them from being engaged at work (they’ll leave if the work environment stifles their purpose).
How To Be Purpose Driven For Dummies
Making money is not an empowering vision
People who have a bigger reason to work than making money tend to make a lot more of it.
A goal realized is no longer motivating
The joy is in the pursuit, not in the acquisition.
We are made to be and to do something significant
There is something for everyone to chase that will get them out of bed every day, that is bigger than making money.
Create partnerships with people
You should measure how work is helping your people in the areas of relationships, personal impact, and growth, not status, advancement, and income.
A Big Why gives you reasons to do things that you’ll never be able to check off as complete – get involved in a nonprofit, help others get to where they need to be in life.
A Big Why isn’t necessarily a huge Why, like solving world hunger (although it can be). Instead it’s a continuous Why – one that will get you out of bed when making money won’t.
Wellness is the New Wealthness
Those who say they want to get rich usually know that its true form originates from passion and hard work. It is the passion itself that leads to one’s wealth.
Chances are, if you’re chasing money, you’ll probably end up with nothing at all. Money shouldn’t be the object of your goals; it should be the idea of success.
The concept of getting rich is the real-life equivalent of the siren song that seduced sailors to crash into the rocks in Homer’s The Odyssey. It’s a glorious idea, but chasing money for the sake of money is a sure way to become emotionally bankrupt.
Chasing money is usually playing the wrong game Click To Tweet
Getting rich is hard. There is no shortcut to success. You have to build something so valuable that people willingly trade their hard-earned money, and that requires blood, sweat and tears.
So when that siren calls with promises of big houses, fast cars and yachts, remember the rocks are years of your life overworking for something you might never achieve. At some point, as you’re slogging away in the name of money, you will ask yourself, is this all worth it?
The answer will be no. Because the money isn’t guaranteed, but the pain of trying to get it is. You shall be aware that you were playing the wrong game. You’ll get hurt at core.
An Emotional Trap
People have chased money from time immemorial. And like many things in life, people chase it without fully understanding what’s driving them.
Yes, money is the great facilitator. It makes things happen. That’s precisely why it will forever remain a universal obsession. It really can do those things and much more.
Despite how powerful money is, though, it can’t change the way you feel about yourself. That’s where most people go wrong.
Money can't change the way you feel about yourself Click To Tweet
They want to be admired, and most important, they want to admire themselves. But money can’t do anything to change the way you feel about yourself. Your insecurities will survive becoming wealthy.
If you’re not proud of who you are, money won’t change that. If you don’t believe in yourself, money will fail you there, too.
If you’re at that point in your life where you feel stuck and are unfulfilled, then your beliefs about money are absolutely contributing to your unhappiness!
The Big Shift
The fastest way to have money is to forget about making it, and think about how you can create it. Creating money requires a big dream (something you’re passionate about) and a set of beliefs that makes you think you can achieve it.
If you lack the beliefs and mindsets to add value, then even if you win the lottery tomorrow, you will almost certainly lose everything.
That’s because once you have made money by achieving a dream (the real way), even if you lose everything the next day, you can rebuild it by following your passion. Rebuilding from nothing is not as hard because you know what it takes to do it, and all you have to do is do what you love again to build your wealth back.
Let money be the sign that you are creating value for other people, not the measuring stick of your success or status in society Click To Tweet
Working towards a dream feels amazing, and as you hit each milestone, it makes you fulfilled beyond your wildest dreams. When your dream becomes your life work, it gives you a sense of meaning that no amount of money can give you.
Don’t forget that your money status is meaningless and people don’t care about how much money you have made. When Richard Branson walks into the room people are impressed by how many dreams he has accomplished, not by his money.
The more you fulfil your purpose, the more you achieve the impossible, the more you become obsessed with creating value, the higher your social status will be.
Geeknack's Advices For Job Hoppers
You matters the most
To be happy at work, you need to feel like you’re being paid a fair wage, but you also need things like a decent boss, a schedule and commute that won’t drive you crazy, and a sense that what you do matters.
Don’t chase the money
The more your focus is on the money, the more you are playing into other people’s ideas about your career. How about having a more engaging job? Or what about a more worthwhile, or socially useful job?
Look for new learning
What learning can you expect to gain from your new job? Will you become more skillful in your occupation, or gain more opportunity to apply your skills in the marketplace?
Seek new relationships
Aside from any learning consideration, you can also use your existing abilities to build your reputation, and thereby open new doors of opportunity that would otherwise not become available.
Final Thoughts
We’re living in a time when the kingmaker traits are authenticity and transparency.
Identify what makes you come alive. Figure out how you can deliver an obscene amount of value to people.
Make sacrifices now, and enjoy the benefits later. Understand what you want and how you can get it. If it comes to making difficult choices and risking what you already have, do it. Risk can reap the greatest benefit. Chasing after your dreams and passions will ultimately lead you down the path to success, chasing money won’t.
Remember that fun is a critical part of the equation, and always push yourself to improve.
Do that and the money will follow.
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