I am in the process of starting a new company and launching a new product in an existing company I own. Yes…I am very busy. But I do not feel overwhelmed (yet) because of a lesson I learned years ago. The lesson? That my highest value is freedom and I won’t do anything that causes me to compromise on this value.
But freedom isn’t free. It costs time, energy and money. So these attributes lead to other values. And as a result I value wealth and health. Health gives me energy (and more time) and wealth gives me money and helps me buy time.
Money for money’s sake is an empty goal. Money in and of itself has no value. It is quite literally barely worth the paper it is printed on. No, what makes money have value for me is that it allows me to do more of what I love and to purchase others peoples time and energy to take care of those things I dislike doing or, more realistically, those things I am really bad at doing.
But one thing money has done for me that is very under appreciated by most, is it has allowed me to say no. Specifically it has allowed me to say no to people I do not like, do not trust, and do not admire. And for that, I am grateful beyond words. I won’t deal with employees I dislike… I won’t buy from vendors I don’t trust…and I won’t serve clients who are assholes or that I do not admire. But if you are someone I like, trust and admire, I will move mountains to solve problems with you and help you achieve your goals.
Imagine a life where you wake up every morning knowing you get to spend the entire day playing with people you like, trust and admire. Why would you live any other way?
