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You took the whole "value provided" into a strange direction. Money is a number of things. It is also captured reciprocal altruism, the "value" you provide is

You took the whole "value provided" into a strange direction. Money is a number of things. It is also captured reciprocal altruism, the "value" you provide is often times compensated with money. (Not always) "Landing a job" That language makes it seem like you fall into, stumble across, or get "lucky" to work for another man or woman (ie: a JOB) That language and thinking is precisely what is holding people back from delivering on their life's work and maximizing the value provided to society. "Giving up my entire life" Did Steve Jobs, Ghandi, Mandela, Lincoln "give up their lives"? This is all perspective. A man with a Mission will not burn out. Better yet, a man with a Mission, autonomy and serious income does not burn out.

Broken_Hippo 9y ago
These folks aren't the same. I can't comment on whether or not Lincoln worked too much as I know little about his working habits compared to the standard of the times. Mandela and ghandi are both not quite your normal workers - and honestly outliers. Most folks who helped free slaves are forgotten, after all. As are most people, regardless of what they did with their life. This isn't cynical, just reflective of reality. Jobs is the closest to what folks would model themselves after. And sure, he was successful and world-changing. But most folks aren't: Again, he's an anomaly. It isn't that that sort of path is impossible, but realistically speaking, most of us won't get there. And I do think he probably worked too much, as do most CEO's. I hope he was happy, but I've never found such a thing to be so. "That language makes it seem like you fall into, stumble across, or get "lucky" to work for another man or woman (ie: a JOB)" The truth is, this sort of job is what most people have. It isn't that folks don't put in work or try. It is that a lot of "making it" depends on things outside of your control, such as where you were born, the government where you live, how rich your parents were, the quality of school you went to, whether or not folks like you, health, timing and other such things I'm sure I forgot. It isn't that you can't do things, but realistically not everyone can get to where any of the folks you mentioned were. Most of us are average, working average jobs for some average manager. This isn't even a bad thing: I've enjoyed most jobs I have had. I liked working at a school kitchen. I liked working at a pharmacy, and find retail to be fun as much as frustrating. I liked being a CNA at a nursing home - especially that (and too bad the pay is usually low and you feel overworked at 40 hours/week). These things don't have paths to riches or to anything on the scale of the people you mentioned. Fufilling or not, I'd still not work any of these for 60-80 hours a week. It is still work. Of course, it might just be that I chase different sorts of dreams, and have never really found a field that both has actual opportunity for decent money and I like enough to do that much per week. Even then I would refuse: My favorite thing is producing artwork, but doing so for 50-80 hours a week puts me at risk of not being able to use my dominant hand well later in life, as artwork is really hard on the hand, wrist, and elbow joints. I already am reaping that "reward" with mild tennis elbow that occasionally flares up, and I'm only in my late 30's. Oops :)

Broken_Hippo 9y ago

These folks aren't the same. I can't comment on whether or not Lincoln worked too much as I know little about his working habits compared to the standard of the times. Mandela and ghandi are both not quite your normal workers - and honestly outliers. Most folks who helped free slaves are forgotten, after all. As are most people, regardless of what they did with their life. This isn't cynical, just reflective of reality. Jobs is the closest to what folks would model themselves after. And sure, he was successful and world-changing. But most folks aren't: Again, he's an anomaly. It isn't that that sort of path is impossible, but realistically speaking, most of us won't get there. And I do think he probably worked too much, as do most CEO's. I hope he was happy, but I've never found such a thing to be so. "That language makes it seem like you fall into, stumble across, or get "lucky" to work for another man or woman (ie: a JOB)" The truth is, this sort of job is what most people have. It isn't that folks don't put in work or try. It is that a lot of "making it" depends on things outside of your control, such as where you were born, the government where you live, how rich your parents were, the quality of school you went to, whether or not folks like you, health, timing and other such things I'm sure I forgot. It isn't that you can't do things, but realistically not everyone can get to where any of the folks you mentioned were. Most of us are average, working average jobs for some average manager. This isn't even a bad thing: I've enjoyed most jobs I have had. I liked working at a school kitchen. I liked working at a pharmacy, and find retail to be fun as much as frustrating. I liked being a CNA at a nursing home - especially that (and too bad the pay is usually low and you feel overworked at 40 hours/week). These things don't have paths to riches or to anything on the scale of the people you mentioned. Fufilling or not, I'd still not work any of these for 60-80 hours a week. It is still work. Of course, it might just be that I chase different sorts of dreams, and have never really found a field that both has actual opportunity for decent money and I like enough to do that much per week. Even then I would refuse: My favorite thing is producing artwork, but doing so for 50-80 hours a week puts me at risk of not being able to use my dominant hand well later in life, as artwork is really hard on the hand, wrist, and elbow joints. I already am reaping that "reward" with mild tennis elbow that occasionally flares up, and I'm only in my late 30's. Oops :)