Finally, you hit your income number!
It was your main focus for the last few years.
It was proof of your accomplishments.
Nobody can deny your success now!
But…
They don’t notice.
They don’t even care.
You can repeat this process for your entire life. Chasing the next thing and achieving a new high. You can tell yourself a story that makes it easier to swallow. A story that justifies the long hours and the constant need for more money. The problem with that story is that it’s incomplete. You stopped shy of the truth.
The reality is that you may not be giving enough thought to what you actually want. You dream about the perfect house, job, or car. You tell yourself things like, “when I have $500K invested, then I’ll pull back a bit.”
What you don’t do enough of is explore why you want those things. It’s not your fault. They didn’t train you to think this way. It is quite the opposite. The market has been training you to want these things for longer than you can consciously remember. You likely never even thought to question WHY you wanted them.
If you choose to go deeper, you may be relieved to learn that it is far less complicated. It is common as you go deeper to find that most desires stem back to three things:
- Safety
- Belonging
- Status
The home provides you a safe place to be at peace. The country club membership provides you a sense of community. The Rolex elevates your status and positions you higher in the pack. Understanding these needs can free you from desires that are enslaving you to the never-ending hustle of more.
What if you could achieve safety, belonging, and esteem in ways that better serve you?
Is a $60,000 wristwatch the only way to be accepted?
Does the Mercedes actually mean you have made an impact in the marketplace?
Or is it freedom that you want?
Freedom from money? Freedom from judgment? Freedom from judging yourself?