Comments on: Money, Boredom, and Reaching the Next Level

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:27:10 +0000

Great insight, few people venture as far as you have into understanding themselves. Money is a necessary part of life but success is a chosen response. Great post I always enjoy reading your ideas.

By: Steve Wickham

Steve Wickham — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:24:00 +0000

If you haven’t seen these videos about money, motivation and the latest research on how they relate to one another, you might want to check to them out:

TED Talk: Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation

YouTube: RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Both of these are very similar, but I think you will enjoy both of them.

I know for me personally, I enjoy my life more when I’m not thinking about money and what my ROI will be on an activity. On the other hand, this has also caused me many times not to finish and follow through on things when I’ve gotten bored with the project or thought of a new idea.

Somewhere there is a balance between the 2 and I think eventually I find that equilibrium.

Thanks for the great thoughts, Glenn and everyone else.

Steve

By: Brian Therrien

Brian Therrien — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:10:28 +0000

Damn Doc ..I think you being hard on yourself with this.
“I was full of crap”

Because we are who we are as a result of our
experiences. So if you had not banged out all those
what would have been doing and where would you
be now…

Regarding money…
I believe you have to go through a financial hardship
really appreciate money. Then once you get it you
don’t what onto have the rug pulled out from underneath
you so you stay hungry and engaged.

My deal is I’m not certain that money bores me but I’m
certain business does not.

Be well

Brian Therrien

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:55:37 +0000

When I have enough money to pay all my expenses and have enough discretionary money to do the things that I have never was able to do….I won\’t get bored…. I will delve into something else to keep the flow of money coming…..Not that I won\’t enjoy life more but after working for a company 19 and 1/2 years and getting the boot…well, that really shook my confidence in the old adage \"work hard and you\’ll get your reward\"! I am now doing something now that I have always wanted to do which is sell online and I need all the help I can get…I\’m all ears Dr Glen……

By: Matt Czarnek

Matt Czarnek — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:24:41 +0000

I have a tendency to jump from project to project and never fully finish one of them. You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I’m really not in it for the money, I’m in it for the challenge of making it and the freedom it seem must come once you’ve made some.

By: Gogo| Small Business Digital Coach

Gogo| Small Business Digital Coach — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:12:48 +0000

Well,

Yes. I\’ve often guessed that money – plain \’ol money – kinda bores me. I remember years ago when I was a newspaper advertising rep and would pay the other reps a few bucks to complete my billing forms…the same billing forms on the basis of which I was getting paid.

I couldn\’t get myself to go through the tedium of completing them ALL out myself. Years later when I hit my first big real estate deal, I found with dismay that the euphoria of getting \"big\" mid five figure paychecks didn\’t really have the long-term motivating effect I\’d always assumed they\’d have.

Educating myself through many classes, books, and blogs like yours have since made it clear to me that I\’m far more motivated by other things like – a need for significance, need for status and recognition (not easy for me to say), than by money.

Great post.

Gogo

By: John

John — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:54:28 +0000

I think it is a mistake to directly equate business and money as if they were the same thing. Pursuing money through business is never going to satisfy you as much as being in the right business for your motivations and talents and making it the best example it can be. Business can be enjoyable precisely because it is so creative. You have to make the whole thing up from scratch and every day you have to solve problems and invent the future. Compare that to working for the government or a corporation, where if you want something even small to change, you have to go through committees, etc. I think your reason to be in business must be to become excellent at it. Money is simply a by product of your excellence in providing a service or product that people want, telling them about it and persuading them to buy it. Many people who do become very rich through business just really enjoy what is involved. Creating businesses, negotiating deals, beating competitors is all FUN for them. Of course there are equally many grumpy, angry, selfish millionaires but we don\’t want to be like them, do we? The key skill is working out how to only do the jobs that you are good at and getting the rest done by people who enjoy doing those jobs. If you don\’t enjoy the major bits of business, then money or no money, you need a different line of work, IMHO.

By: chris

chris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:47:55 +0000

I haven’t seen enough of it yet to be bored by it

By: Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:58:00 +0000

Glen,

No, money isn’t boring in and of itself. It’s just an idea. I got a degree in finance because money literally fascinated me. Now, I’ve got to admit that making money simply for the sake of making money does bore me to tears. With all the studying I’ve done in economics, finance, accounting and cashflow vehicles you’d think I’d LOVE to make boatloads of money, but the fact of the matter is – in the final analysis – that money’s just a tool. If it becomes the goal, it can not only get boring it can twist a person and mess with the most (IMHO) important values like loving God, loving family, getting and staying healthy and then making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Your observations about tackling multiple niches makes perfectly good sense and I’ve made similar discoveries – so riddle me this one….

What if your chosen niche, the one that you’re genuinely passionate about and it’s NOT (at least not yet) your most profitable endeavor. How do you evaluate that in the overall “time is money” balancing act.

By: Deb Gallardo

Deb Gallardo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:36:35 +0000

My answer surprised me. Yes, I am absolutely bored by money!!!

And yet I’m so close to being absolutely destitute that it isn’t funny. Who knew something so necessary for someone who is scratching just to have the basics of life would elicit such a reaction.

I could understand “loving” money, desiring it, even hating it, but BORED? That was a shocker.

Not sure, exactly, how to apply this to my situation to make the insight USEFUL, but thanks for shaking up my thinking, Glenn.

Deb