Why Money Should Never Map Out Your Direction In Life

Money has always been a motivator. The extent to which money motivates us, however, is the critical variable that can define our career direction and, consequently, our satisfaction in life.

If you are led by a desire to make as much money as possible regardless of whether the career direction you take is a proper fit with your strengths and interests, you will be left with a hollow gap inside of you. It will only widen over time until you realize what you’re doing is not your true passion, that thing that gives your life a meaning.

Money is important. Money is freedom. Having money takes away from the worry of needing it and allows you to do all the things that you’ve been longing to do, from traveling the world to driving the fastest cars.

These things you want to do require money, and knowing that, you may be tempted to go after the jobs that pay the most. But what you might be forgetting is that money can be made in almost any field.

People pay for your skills, talents and abilities. The better work you produce in any area you choose and the better you become at marketing yourself and your work, the more in demand you will become, and the more money you will make from having to cater to the growing demand for your services.

But to be able to do great work that gains you that level of recognition, you have to love what you do and ensure that it is your calling. Doing that which you believe in and are passionate about, that which inspires your energy, creativity and effort is the only true road to happiness in life.

Whether it’s painting, investing or writing, you will only find satisfaction from doing what excites you and inspires in you an obsessive pursuit for becoming the best at what you do.

It’s a natural pursuit, one in which the many hours you pour in and the trying challenges you’re confronted with don’t ever faze you. As you continue to develop your skills and hunt down the right opportunities that help you develop the right reputation, you’ll find the money pouring in. But the money won’t be your goal, the money will be a consequence of you going after your real goal.

What we decide to do with our lives should not be whatever we can find or whatever we can draw a paycheck from. A career is not a means of financing our lives; it’s the source of fulfillment in our lives. If you are not finding that fulfillment and excitement from what you do then you’re not in the right line of work. If you’re not sure about what it is you’re passionate about doing then you’re likely not putting enough time into finding out.

Remember, money should not map out your direction in life. Do what you’re passionate about and work hard to be the best that you can be -- and the money will follow. Money goes where it grows. It goes to the smart, strategic few who know the value of their time and work better than to spend it on things that rarely matter more than one's achievements.

Money is a key that can open the right doors. Investing wisely in your self is the best thing you will do with your money because it’s an investment that will reap benefits far beyond any you may derive from buying those things that the shallow often use to build and uphold a social status that is as fickle as a snow flake.

Invite the attention of the ambitious, passionate and great minds that do what they do purely to realize their dreams and become the best that they can be. Those individuals will likely admire you for your achievements and not your wealth. They will be part of a solid, long lasting network that comes to your aid in trying times because what they value are your talents and not your belongings.

Aim for the objects and you attract the shallow, image-centric figures who will leave you when someone of higher standing comes along or when you lose what you have. There is nothing wrong with money. What’s wrong is doing anything and everything for money.

Remember that pursuing your calling is your priority and the only true path to happiness, as the fulfillment and money you derive is much greater in quantity and quality. Do what you love.

Do what you’re passionate about. Work very hard and be strategic with whom you associate yourself  and become among the best in your chosen field -- and the money will certainly follow. Do not waste your life doing that which you don’t love for the sake of money. Lasting wealth is more of a derivative than an objective.

Samer Sweidan | Elite.