“Money and the power, once you get a ‘lil they just want to take you down”-Kid Ink

Just goes to show that money is mostly idealistic. It is a want, but is there any relation to happiness? People of all ages get a job to pay the bills, learn valuable work skills or even buy their first car. On the other hand, most careers begin with an education. The term career refers to building on experience and advancing your job skills and knowledge. It can take years of risks and hard work to build a career.  Those brave enough set out to build a career and set goals to build a professional network and continue in the field earning promotions and raises. “If you don’t wake up in the morning excited to pick up where you left your work yesterday, you haven’t found your calling yet,”Mike Wallace. Whether you are currently working a job or building a career, you have to enjoy what you do.

Unfortunately, life is expensive and it’s easy to accept any job available that pays the bills. The Common phrase, “ you gotta do what you gotta do,” has come about as people suffer through their jobs every day to support their family. At the same time, you may have heard someone say,”It’s just money, you can’t take it with you.” Two very different ways to look at it for sure but is there a right answer?

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What do you really want out of life? That’s all it really boils down to. The average CEO in our state of Minnesota makes $170,000 each year. These stats are according to surveys taken by Pay Scale, a human capital website that stores data on average salaries. This is what happens when you choose a career and stick with it. Years of hard work tend to pay off but is it worth it? Does the job make you happy or simply the paycheck in the mail? High school teachers average just under $50K every year but it doesn’t seem to affect their happiness. My teachers are some of the happiest people I know and every morning they wake up and they know that they can make a difference today. By the end of the night, they will sleep well, knowing that what they do changes lives. When they get the paycheck in the mail they don’t need to see the extra zeroes, they’ve already been rewarded.

Wants vs Needs

Growing up how many times were you asked, “How are you going to afford to pay the bills in life?” Probably never. We go our whole lives dreaming about what we WANT to do, not what we HAVE to. Then one day you hit the real world and being a video game tester just won’t cut it. Your parents say it’s time to get a real job, meaning they want you to go to school and study to begin a successful career. The reality sinks in that the fantasies are over. But what if you can keep doing what you love without the relentless pressure?

You have to assume a positive mindset in order to do this however. It’s about doing it because you love it not for the results. As Alan Watts put it, “When you dance, do you aim to arrive at a particular place on the floor? Is that the idea of dancing? No, the aim of dancing is to dance.” What is one thing that all former athletes have in common? They do not miss the popularity gained from it or even the money. They all miss the opportunity to compete and the ability to play the sport. Sometimes we get lost along the way and lose sight of the real goal. The most important thing to remember is that money is all relative and everyone should just do what makes them happy. When you work hard enough at something a financial payoff is unnecessary. Knowing that you have succeeded should be enough. Self-satisfaction is one thing no one can take away and that leads to the greatest of joys. Robert Vallerand from the University of Quebec at Montreal and his associates found that participating in a passion can add eight hours of joy to your week.

The greater truth is that success does not create happiness, but happiness can create success.

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Given the choice between pursuing achievements to become happy and finding inner happiness and letting success come to you, which do you think is more successful? The answer is obvious. When you are doing what you love it tends to take the work out of your job. A Common misconception is that wealth and happiness go hand in hand. No correlation is found between wealth and happiness, David Geller says, “After a modest level of income, there isn’t really evidence to suggest that people’s happiness increases with their wealth.”  Instead, whether you’re loving life or hating it really depends on how you’re using your money. However when life becomes consumed with the idea of accumulating wealth, happiness is thrown out the window. It’s best to focus on what drives you and the rest will come.

Prioritizing in Life

Have you ever heard the song, “Don’t miss your life?” If not, I suggest you try it. Not only is it a great song but there is a truly meaningful message under the surface. One line by Phil Vassar really comes to mind, “I made a ton of money and I climbed up the ladder, yeah, I was Superman, now what does it matter.” You could have the best job in the world and be making six-figure salaries and still be missing out. How can that be possible? Being successful is great but at what expense? How much are you willing to sacrifice for that next promotion? Your sons first home run or your daughters 16th birthday? Jobs aren’t in place to hold you down, they are meant to support you in whatever you choose to do.

That brings up one word that always lingers around as far as jobs go, stability. This is the biggest counter-argument to those who say to follow your passion. Most people reach a point in life when they want to settle down. It can be hard to start a family comfortably without some guaranteed job security. As a kid who has been through multiple moves throughout my life I know that they can be hard. Especially as kids grow older they want their parents to be stable in their career. And often times feeling the need to provide is a perfect reason for adults to settle for a job. They are responsible for something bigger than themselves and this tends to stop them from taking risks. This ensures a sense of safety and allows the kids to be more successful without any additional stress. Scientists found that children in families who moved repeatedly (especially to new areas of the country) were more likely to perform badly in school and have behavi0ral problems. Everyone assumes that kids are so good at making friends that the stress caused is underrated. This can never be completely avoided, but a stable job can help counter the odds of moving.

The real question is: Are you brave enough? It takes courage to follow your passion and if you lack confidence you will never succeed. If you are letting outside opinions influence your opinion you’ll spend your whole life trying to please others and the fact is you can’t make everyone happy. Follow your heart and do what you feel is right. The only opinion that matters is your own and if others can’t accept that then cut your losses.  At the end of the day, it’s your decision and I gotta tell you that it’s your life too. Why should you let someone else dictate YOUR future? You’re not a little kid anymore. You have to take the courage to stand up for what you want and follow your passion. Refuse to let anyone stand in your way and in the end it will be you on top.

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