Ryan, as a new reader to this blog, also asks:
Now that you’ve “made it” financially, has it changed your motivation? Was money your original motivation or was it simply your desire to create things and watch them grow?
I say, “as a new reader” because any of my regular readers – or, those who have simply followed my $7 million journey – will already have drummed into them:
Your Life isn’t about your Money … your money is merely there to support Your Life!
This is a 180 degree turnabout for how we usually live our lives … generally, solely in pursuit of money: whether just to get by, or to pursue riches.
That is, until we reach some mythical point when we can stop work and RETIRE.
Then what? For many of us, nothing!
Which is why my motivation to become rich was driven by finding my Life’s Purpose [AJC: which is to be constantly traveling physically, mentally, spiritually].
Making the money has been the key to start making this happen, and without money it would be far more difficult to live the kind of ‘traveler’s life’ that I want [AJC: after all you need (a) lots of free time to travel … and, free time means spending money rather than earning it, and (b) travel costs – a LOT of – money].
In other words, making the money was never my motivation – it was merely the means to the end – and, I actually considered my life to be a bit ‘on hold’ until I made the required amount of money … of course, making that sort of money is far from boring (if not necessarily fulfilling in its own right), and I hope that your journey to 7m7y will be every bit as exhilarating as mine 😉
Money can buy a lot of things, including the freedom to do what you want. It’s a means to an end rather than an end in itself.
A question about our life purpose: if survival of the species is the purpose of all living creatures, and we have reached the point where the survival of our species is best served by having fewer people (or at least slowing the growth rate), don’t most of us need to find a new purpose?
Your blog absolutely drills in the idea that money is just a tool, neither good nor evil – just a tool
Nice YouTube link, I grew up watching David Suzuki and the “Nature of Things”.
For me, earning money isn’t about retirement, it is about freedom of choice, and freedom to work when I want on what I want (or not work at all for a while).
“money is just a tool, neither good nor evil – just a tool”
@ Evan – You just reduced 50% of my entire blog to a Twitter-sized statement 🙁 Got it in one, though! 🙂
@ Neil – My Number is (was) about removing the “work” word: it’s also about doing what I love (and, maybe something that I would be proud to tell my -eventual – grandkids about); if money comes along with it, so be it, but this blog is a living example of what (part) of my Life’s Purpose is about … and, I don’t make a dime from it. On the other hand, if I publish a book and it tops the NY Times best seller lists for years and makes me $26 mill. so be it!
AJC,
Left you a few comments in the “Call me… make it happen” post. Look forward to hearing your feedback.
-Mike
@ Mike – Thanks for those comments. Toying with some post ideas … in the meantime, ajc@7million7years.com if you – indeed, any reader – have/has any specific questions (I like receiving those kinds of e-mails!).
Adrian,
Hearing it from the “horse’s mouth” is very refreshing. Congrats on your success and I’ll be checking in more frequently.
The distorted view of wealth people have does not allow them to realize that all things/wants can be reduced to the fact that money enables you to experience life, in different and more ways.
And those experiences are what make us truly rich.