Money is so overrated!
I have been able to become the best in the world in two different industries (NBA and motivation), and money had nothing to do with it.
Now, we all love to have money in our pockets like everyone else, but it should never be the driver. I believe money is merely the reward for becoming the best in the world at what we do.
If you are motivated by money, I feel so sorry for you. You are missing the whole meaning of life. I know it may be counter-intuitive to what you have heard or what you may think, but money should never be your driving force if you want to be free and truly happy.
Money alone can’t motivate you to work late at night or get you up early in the morning. If your motivation is strictly money, it will be hard for you to put forth consistent effort, especially once you start making money. If money is your primary driving force, you could lose all sense of integrity and honor and we could read your name connected to the next Ponzi scheme. We have all seen professionals sell their soul to the devil for a little more money.
If the love of money is truly the root of all evil, we need to make sure we have the right association to money from the beginning. Money should never define you. Money is not what you need to feel good about you. All money does is allow you to express who you are — better. So it can’t be all about the money.
Here is the good news: If you do want to make boatloads of money, then take your focus off the money. I know it’s counter-intuitive and it goes against what you have been taught about business, but it’s true and it works.
Here are the top five things you need to be focused on so you can be wealthy in more ways than one.
- Focus on the competition and how to kick their you know what.
- Focus on making a difference
- Focus on solving your clients’ problems. (This is how we all get paid anyway).
- Focus on being a great teammate. Success is a team sport.
- The final frontier is your “why.” “Why?” is the real question that you need to answer. Why do you do what you do?
Why is your company in business in the first place? If you can get back to the basics of your “why,” you can unlock the passion and commitment it takes to grow a business. You can’t grow a great brand without passion, and passion is never about the money. Money can’t sustain your efforts quite like passion can. When you love what you do, that is the real payoff. You get to do it everyday — all day long.
I have seen many well-meaning business people focus on the money and never experience passion for their industry. Even though they have money, something is missing. True happiness and fulfillment transcends money.
I attended a business networking event with a billionaire named Dave Green from Hobby Lobby, and he explained this dynamic so eloquently. Business boils down to the why — why do you do what you do.
You see, I wanted to play in the NBA not because of the money. I thought I was good enough and I wanted to prove to me that I could get there. In fact, when my first check showed up, I didn’t even cash it.
Dave Green was right! I was totally focused on competing against the best in the world and achieving a lifelong dream. Money was not top of mind.
When I first grabbed a microphone and began to motivate thousands of people, I didn’t’ think about money one time.
In both cases I loved what I did and that drives me to get up early and to stay up late. The money is merely our reward.
If I said it once, I’ll say it a thousand times: Love what you do or quit. If you truly love what you do, the money will come and there is nothing you can do to stop it.