A Reason for Existing

I’m worried about Alice — the employee who once tried to understand my motivation for working. Yesterday, she commented on the importance of having a reason for existing outside of making money.

I almost spat out my coffee bursting with laughter! Let me repeat what she mentioned — a reason for existing OUTSIDE OF MAKING MONEY!

After I swallowed my coffee, with the captive audience of the middle manager between myself and Alice, I snapped back with my response:

“Well, that’s nice, maybe you should join the Peace Corps, and when you get tired of living in a wet tent, being sick all the time, and eating worms, you can come back to the real world and realize it’s all about making money.”

This is absolutely true, and I stand behind myself on this topic — tough to do unless I step outside myself!

Let me be very blunt and hardheaded for a moment, so I might convey to you what I cannot convey to Alice:

There is no reason for existing outside of making money. Money is our ultimate motivation, whether we realize it or not.

That shut her up! Alice is going to need some serious counseling if she keeps working here. She just doesn’t get it.

Ultimately,
W. Albert Jameson, IV


On the other hand…
Money is an incredibly powerful tool. But what do you want to do WITH it? Many wealthy men have spent decades gaining wealth, only to realize a massive fortune wasn’t enough to fulfill them.

Money is of no value compared to a life well lived.
-Andrew

What motivates you? Do you find joy in constructing, analyzing, engineering, creating, music, or giving? Comment about it!