On What More Money Means
We all want more money.
But we also know more money doesn’t equal more happiness.
Money is, however, a means. So the question is… a means for what?
Since elementary school, my mom pushed me towards traditionally stable paths in the name of securing my future. I told her that I didn’t care about money as long as I had enough to live, that happiness was far more important, and that she had her priorities wrong.
It took me years to understand that emotional security was her core motivator and financial stability was her means.
This singular focus led her to make choices that brought her continents away from her family, her community, and other things she valued in life. The pursuit of more money and other traditional things that indicated success satisfied her core need for security.
But using that as the ultimate filter with little else factored in netted her a retirement account with limited personal fulfillment.
I wish I could’ve slowed her down and convinced her to consider… What do you want more money for?... so she could solve for that instead of... How do I get more money?
So, what do we want more money for? I’ll go first...
To give a homeless person a $20 instead of a $5 without thinking twice.
To pick up the bill for a night out with friends just because.
To live and work from Greece in the summer and mountains I can ski in the winter.
To support my parents’ retirement so they don’t have to worry about having enough.
To book a last minute getaway to a warm beach because my body needs some sun and salt water, regardless of cost.
To have a home I feel recharged in, filled with sunlight and views that stretch for miles.
To support and provide a safe place for kids that need homes.
To help more people do work that fulfills them so they show up stronger for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.
To fund my DEI and corporate accountability work without worrying about grants.
To spend more time solving problems in my community without sacrificing my lifestyle.
Money allows us to live the life we want and defining that requires specificity with individual rationale (i.e. our unique why). Too often we inherit goals from society/our families or we set really broad ones that lack meaning.
But pursuing more money in service of the specific life we want and impact we aim to make are far more sustainable sources of fuel with far more fulfilling outcomes than the pursuit of money alone.
The final days of the year prompt all kinds of thoughts about life improvements and money is an inextricable part of that. We all want to secure the bag, but a full bag doesn’t equal a full life in the same way an empty one doesn’t equal an empty life.
So in addition to getting yours in 2022 and beyond, I wish you all the specific clarity of what life and impact that’ll enable you to have. And I hope those dreams are as big and true to you as you can make them… before your practical voice gets in the way.
Cheers to a new year as full as the bag we all want… Happy (almost) 2022! 🍾🥂
Pam
