"... I knew and had friendships with people who were far richer than I was: whose net worth was $10M or $30M or more, who could retire today and have a very com

"... I knew and had friendships with people who were far richer than I was: whose net worth was $10M or $30M or more, who could retire today and have a very comfortable life anywhere in the world. But they continued to work. I can only guess that they found more enjoyment in work than I did..." I love hiking. But sometimes you end up on a freaking grueling hike. It's hot, the weather's going south, you're above the treeline, and so on. Ever stop and wonder why you're doing it? Why not just turn around? Heck, going downhill is a lot easier. Sometimes when you get emotionally wrapped up in the middle of doing something tough, it becomes extremely important to stay with it, simply because it's tough. The pain and misery of the thing becomes its own reward.