Before we start chasing money, it’s worth asking ourselves why we want it. That answer determines what we’re willing to accept along the way.
For some, family security is important. For others, it’s the freedom to choose how to spend their time. Still others want status or confirmation that they’ve succeeded. These reasons can coexist, but they aren’t the same, and they don’t require the same lifestyle.
When we look at someone else’s outcome, we don’t always see why they set out on that path, what compromises they made, or what it cost them. Their goal doesn’t have to be ours.
That’s why I find this question useful: What specifically will change when I have more money? Will I have more choices, more manageable obligations, and more time, or will I simply adjust the amount I consider sufficient?
Money can solve many real difficulties. But the expectation that it alone will resolve every source of dissatisfaction can keep us in work whose cost we no longer examine.
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