What’s changing because of your work?

We all want to make a difference, right? Whether it’s introducing the world to new ideas, or fixing problems, or giving people productive work … that’s where the motivation comes from.

This is true at the individual level, for an organization, even for society as a whole. And the answer is usually different at each level.

There are two answers to this question that people can really struggle with.

I want security and happiness.

What’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing! Except that I hope that your happiness isn’t coming at the expense of others’. Because that’s a win-lose mentality and there’s a good chance you’ll lose.

Let’s keep win-lose to playing games, not making life decisions.

I want lots of money.

The question here is not whether money is somehow evil. It’s not. But it’s not the end of the story.

By itself, money just sits there. It’s a number in a computer. Instead, it’s about what money represents – usually security and freedom. For you, for your business, for groups and organizations.

So if you want security and freedom, focus on that. Money helps, but it’s not the only way to get there. Honestly, other ways can be easier. Because a lot of security and freedom is due to the way you think about them.