It's strange to go from worring about making money to worring about what to do with all that is coming in. I started to just, live. Stop worring about how much I have in the bank....what I can and can't afford. I play on cash and cash only, from a car to looking to put half down on property, in cash, cash becomes king. You can't become to worried about how much money your money will make for you..., what your money will make sitting in a Jumbo, or in a safe but low yield investment. Just beaware of what your have and what investment vehicals are yielding for you ...but don't worry. You, think about more Tangable things, like starting a company, depending on your cash flow.... rebuilding classic cars.....buying land, ....and for me, less about putting money to work in the markets and more on "Hard Assets". The biggest is having some grounding in spirtual ways...regardless....it keeps you level. but over all....spend it and enjoy life and give money to Charity, whatever the cause you choose.....and never look back or question why did it happen to me....just roll with it.
Agree wholeheartedly.. Once you have reached a level of success and security the next step is to work and build a legacy utilizing some of the ideals Cutten mentioned.
People in their 20s usually worship money. As you get older, money is not so important as much as time.
in this economy, conspicuous consumption does cause jealousy to come out. you know what illicits the most passionate opinions (good and bad) from people, is an exotic car. when i got my f430, word spread among my circle of acquaintances and former co-workers and i knew some of them hated my decision to buy this. an ex-friend of mine got into a very hot debate about why i bought that car instead of donating the money. in reality these people are just disguising their jealousy as compassion, because i know these posers. if they had the money they would have done the same. in the end i can give a shit about what they think i should do with my money. whether i should spend it on a 200k car that gets 14 mpg and buy gifts for cute 20-somethings, or whether i donate it to some fvcking "save the rare double-tailed desert hummingbird" campaign. it's my money.
i don't know. some people are driven to succeed more, even once they reach success. i told myself a few years ago i'd be satifisfied with $xxxx networth, which would be plenty to retire with a upper-middle class lifestyle. well, i have $xxxx now and i'm not satisified. i believe successful people have a fundamental drive, and it is not achieved simply because they earn $xx or have $zz networth.
I would agreed with that. My point is that fundamental drive you mention shifts from one about "accumulation" for accumulations sake, to one about being driven to "create something" like Cutten mentioned.
you will never be satisfied, as the buddhist philosopher Shantideva said," All suffering is due to self cherishing, All happiness is due to compassion."
A lot of people out there have these high hopes that they can "create something" like the cure for cancer or build a company like Microsoft. The truth of the matter is that the majority of us will never create anything earth shattering. However, we can contribute to society by doing things like donating to the Red Cross, donating blood and other little things every day. We can make a difference by being quality parents or simply being a positive influence and encourage the people around us...our loved ones, our friends. Quite honestly, I would not focus on wealth accumulation or creating something, but having fun and being a positive influence on the world. Be happy with what you can do, but do not be sad or regretful of what you can't do. Focus on encouraging others to do the right thing and develop themselves. Do your job at work and treat people right. Make them smile and be a positive influence...set the example... When was the last time any of you went to a blood drive? When was the last time any of you sat down with someone you are related to or friends with and tried to encourage them? How about simply going to a town meeting and seeing how you can help with the issues where you live? I sent in my donations to 7 different charities a month back and will do so again in another 6 months. I went to a blood drive yesterday and will do so again in another 3 months. Such contributions are small, but impact society none the less. When you wake up in the morning, ask yourself how you can be happier today and what you can do to encourage others and help out even in the smallest way. Stop thinking about cars and such things...simply give your family members a call and have a meeting with them focusing on development and encouragement. Give it a try...