What's the Point?

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Sometimes we get sucked into a daily grind that has lost its meaning. Why did we agree to do this in the first place? It could be a job or business you started.  Perhaps owning a restaurant seemed like a dream entrepreneurial focus just a few years ago.

The realities of inflation, picky staff and pickier customers make it a nightmare.

Rarely in life do we ask the question. Why am I doing what I am doing each day? I address this question in one of my earlier books, Shrink Money Advice, where I tell the story of a fictional couple that has lost their way.

I’m re-reading this book, Richer Wiser Happier, which interviews several billionaires and tries to better understand what they focus on each day. What makes them happier?

Not surprisingly, it’s not about the money (once you have enough). It’s about living each day as if it were your last and being focused on purposeful interactions with family, spirituality, business, and philanthropy.

We’ve addressed the issue of what it means to be rich, and by my definition, it has nothing to do with the amount of money or assets you may have.

It’s all about having more money come in than you spend. If you are doing that, by definition, you are wealthy.

Next, discover if you are living to enjoy the journey or the expected outcome. Is it the journey to build a great relationship or business you prize or the result?

If it’s the result, you must change that.

During my career as a psychologist and, at times, as a business coach, I often heard that while a person wants to leave their 9-5 job because they hate it, they must stay for the benefits or the pension. Someday, they will be able to do what they truly want to do in life, but for now, they are tied down with golden handcuffs.

I guess I was irresponsible because even though I had several early opportunities for secure employment, I chose the entrepreneurial route. In retrospect, it was easy because I learned early on that I could never work for someone else. I was lucky to have learned that when I was starting. 

Go back to identifying what matters to you. What is your authenticity with family, work, investments, spirituality, and friends? Is your daily activity consistent with enjoying that journey of daily discovery?

I was doing the math the other day and realized that, on average, as do other men, I have about 5-6 years left to stay on the planet. If I’m lucky and see those years, I’m not sure a lot of the things out there really matter—the news, the presidential election in the US, or our problems with Trudeau here in Canada.

Maybe it’s just about having those few years left in the back of my mind that will keep me focused on what truly matters. Maybe, in the end, that is the point.

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