What Would I Do? Work For Love Or Work For Money?
Motivational seminars, books, tapes… and one common thing among them all, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” they all say.
Then you read Die Broke, and from a financial perspective, the author voices a polar opposite opinion, suggesting we work as mercenaries, negotiating for the highest pay and the most vacation; working for the money and using our free time to pursue our passions.
So what would I do, work for love or work for money?
When I think about the things that I am truly passionate about; things that move my soul, it is quite difficult to imagine making a living out of them. Dirt bike riding, for example… or a day filled with sunshine and acoustic music… or an hour at the dog park…
It is rather difficult to get the same sense of joy from posting an article on social security, yet when a reader or audience member tells me that, for the first time, they finally understand a complex subject I have explained, it is a completely different kind of satisfaction that I feel. It would be hard to describe it as passion, but it is a “feel good” kind of moment that makes me want to continue the work that I do.
There are days where I get quite passionate about my work, and other days where it actually feels like work. Mostly though, I am lucky, because my work doesn’t feel like a job. If it did, I can tell you I would quickly move on to something I felt better about. Life is too short to spend Sunday evenings dreading Monday morning.
For me, I think there is no amount of money that could entice me to do work I didn’t enjoy on an ongoing basis. I’d rather spend a few years floundering around, which I most certainly did, until I found a good balance between satisfying work and adequate compensation. I would encourage you to do the same, unless of course, you feel you truly have a calling, and in that case, I think you need to pursue it with everything you’ve got.
What Would I Do? Work For Love Or Work For Money? originally appeared on About.com Money Over 55 on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 17:28:12.
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