How do you stay hungry, when you have everything you need? This is a phenomenon: people will continue to grow and learn and get paid and promoted up until the point at which they are comfortable, at which point they will stop growing and rest on their laurels, sit on the couch and eat Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips. For some people, that happens when they make $100 million, for others, $1 million, and for still others, $100,000. Life is good. Instead of hustling, I’m going to watch football this weekend and zone out.
I agree that growth and progress are important; however, I disagree that the growth always must leave you financially better off. I quit my very cushy and secure job as a copywriter and editor of 20 years last December and became a non-medical caregiver, which pays less than a third than I used to make.
It’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I now take care of the elderly, an incredibly rewarding but equally challenging job. I change adult diapers, warm up soup for lunch, clean their bathroom, and keep them company. My own desire for comfort and my capacity to deal with the sights and smells of base-level humanity is being challenged every day. There were times where I’ve gagged, but I also feel this is maybe the most important thing I’ve ever done.
Im still not sure whether I’m cut out for this job, and my admiration for caregivers and nurses has reached new heights. A few weeks ago, I got my first hospice client, and every shift I watch him die a little more. It’s so hard, but my “growth” opportunity here is to kill my over-inflated ego, a little more each day, and humble myself in the service to others. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick it out; there’s even a no -zero chance that I might get fired at some point. But for now, this is what progress looks like for me.
i didn’t get any notion that growth must leave you financially better off. He even explicitly said give money away if you have enough. If this article is your north star it sounds like you are doing it right.
'Vanity, vanity. All is vanity' said the Oracle. Etc. So begins the book of Ecclesiastes. I have an inalienable right to pursue happiness; not just wealth. So, you do you and I will do me. Personal growth? yes. Work yourself into an early grave? pass.
I am not so sure you and Bogle are that far apart. You both are seeking an answer to the perennial question: how do we define “the good life”? Recognizing that one might have “enough” is not incompatible with continuing to seek personal growth. Perhaps it’s a question of where one is in this life. Please revisit this question in 10 or 20 years. I will be very interested (and hopefully alive) to read what you are thinking about then. Keep up the good work.
I agree that growth and progress are important; however, I disagree that the growth always must leave you financially better off. I quit my very cushy and secure job as a copywriter and editor of 20 years last December and became a non-medical caregiver, which pays less than a third than I used to make.
It’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I now take care of the elderly, an incredibly rewarding but equally challenging job. I change adult diapers, warm up soup for lunch, clean their bathroom, and keep them company. My own desire for comfort and my capacity to deal with the sights and smells of base-level humanity is being challenged every day. There were times where I’ve gagged, but I also feel this is maybe the most important thing I’ve ever done.
Im still not sure whether I’m cut out for this job, and my admiration for caregivers and nurses has reached new heights. A few weeks ago, I got my first hospice client, and every shift I watch him die a little more. It’s so hard, but my “growth” opportunity here is to kill my over-inflated ego, a little more each day, and humble myself in the service to others. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick it out; there’s even a no -zero chance that I might get fired at some point. But for now, this is what progress looks like for me.
I have hired people like you to care for my mother before. Your value cannot be quantified. Thank you for helping these families.
i didn’t get any notion that growth must leave you financially better off. He even explicitly said give money away if you have enough. If this article is your north star it sounds like you are doing it right.
'Vanity, vanity. All is vanity' said the Oracle. Etc. So begins the book of Ecclesiastes. I have an inalienable right to pursue happiness; not just wealth. So, you do you and I will do me. Personal growth? yes. Work yourself into an early grave? pass.
I am not so sure you and Bogle are that far apart. You both are seeking an answer to the perennial question: how do we define “the good life”? Recognizing that one might have “enough” is not incompatible with continuing to seek personal growth. Perhaps it’s a question of where one is in this life. Please revisit this question in 10 or 20 years. I will be very interested (and hopefully alive) to read what you are thinking about then. Keep up the good work.
J. P Morgan might be a good addition to your piece.
I feel that way about my work. I don't care for money, but I want to do the absolute best possible in my work.. It can get unhealthy at times