“Pet?”, you say. “Mine?” Well, yes. Doesn’t everyone want a big pile of money? Doesn’t everyone want to win the lottery and spend, spend, spend? To the extent this is true I am proposing you have a pet, a dear one you feed and cuddle in day dreamy slumber imagining the future when it will be your reality. In the 30 years I’ve been in business I’ve always wanted to become financially independent. Maybe big piles of money, but more than anything shrug the burden of the monthly grind and have freedom to come and go easily. Not be tied to one place or event, like work. It’s taken most of those 30 years to get there but here I am. Mostly free. Why mostly, because old habits die hard. I’ve been freight training through life for 45 years and one doesn’t just quit. There’s track all over the place that’s taken all this while to assemble, there are engines idling waiting to start work, there’s box cars of stuff needing to be somewhere, there’s people who need you to keep freighting. It’s what I do and to be honest, although I get tired, I DIG it. I really enjoy most all of what I do but most importantly I enjoy where it has taken me and where we plan to go next with all of those people.
Often times I hear people loudly proclaiming, “don’t you want to be rich”, “why not get rich, what else you have to do” and any other manner of utterances about getting money. There is a tremendous amount of noise over the internet about a focus on getting more money. You here them talk about what they do and how you too can do what they do and get money. “Show me the money Jerry!” like in Hollywood. So many look for the fame and fortune only to miss the one thing in life that will truly satisfy. A great journey! And not just any journey but one that dreams are made of, one that others see and share the same vision. My goodness, and the stories we can share with each other too!
Getting money is just that, it’s not easy, it’s not fun in and of itself, it satisfies not in any way. You can’t eat it, it won’t keep you company and it won’t fix any of your relationships. I heard someone say once, “money only makes you more of who you already are.” If you’re generous, you’ll be more generous. If you’re stingy, you’ll be even more stingy. If you’re a spender, you’ll just be a bigger spender; that is until it’s gone. That happens a lot.
The fun thing about getting money is what you can do with it. If that’s the best part why wouldn’t a person focus on that. People do. But then run out of money again. Now what? Do it again. Gets old like most everything else. The most unhappy people I know have boat loads of money. They go and do, they go and buy and they go and see. Constantly. If getting money was going to help you we would be enjoying Nirvana’s newest album with Kurt on lead. Sadly we’re not and sadly money isn’t an answer to anything.
Don’t misunderstand me, you do need to be interested in it, you do need to respect it’s value and you do need to go make efforts to acquire it. You need it and you should get it. Saying, “it’s the root of evil and I don’t need it” is just one way of saying that, “irresponsibility is the life I choose.” You thought you were miserable now try that one on. Listen to an old man, the key is when your needs, time and money all come together at the same moment to allow you to have the freedom to enjoy the people nearest you. Then and only then will you be happy about money, happy about life and happy that you focused on the journey and those going with you and not your little pet.
I’m starting on a new project with a new partner to see where it goes. We are, of course doing it for the money but so many other things. I just met him a bit ago, but we see and say similar things, we look at our future together and wonder will this be forever or just a season. Curiosity is the thrill of tomorrow, what will it bring? Here I go.
You go too, and take someone with you,
Greg