Most people dream of more money, but money itself isn’t a great dream, at least not beyond most people’s ordinary earning capacities in a country like the USA.
In fact, prior to adulthood, most people never even thought about money. Instead, there was childhood aspirations. Places to go, things to do, achievements not yet completed.
However, money has a way of changing that as an adult because money is our entire system. It’s our food, our shelter, our transportation, our warmth. It’s the medium of exchange for all of that. In a more philosophical manner, it’s our security. When all of that is on the line for your family, it always seems like more is better.
Somehow, money makes it seem like purchasing our dreams is possible. A big house. A nice car. However, money doesn’t really purchase anything significant at all. As you age and experience more of the world, you recognize how few truly amazing things are out there. Most things become humdrum if you experience enough of them, so being original is an opportunity. That originality only comes from people with dreams. The chef creating entirely new ideas of food, or playful and imaginative desserts, doesn’t need all that much money to get started. Yet, if that same person already had a $200,000 or $300,000 yearly salary, they would likely find it hard to go out and pursue their dreams because of what they would lose if it didn’t work out. Part of the salary is the price they are paying not to in fact.
There is much to be said however about living your dream first, then finding ways to monetize that. One example of that:
- Brad and Kyle – These guys are professional bowlers. When they first went out on the professional tour, they weren’t making much money, but they were vlogging about it. Now they can sell t-shirts, online memberships and more that help fund their professional bowling lifestyle. While they are getting more seasoned and improving in the sport, it almost doesn’t matter because their viewership and fans are growing. In the future, if they wanted it they could have pro shops, coaching clinics, bowling alleys and more, which would provide far more income than professional bowling ever will. All built off their dream that they shared with others.
Often times, we think of money first, then dreams later. There are dreams that require a certain threshold of money to start, and perhaps that is okay to wait on, but we all need plans on when we have enough to pursue our dreams after that, we can figure most things out from there.