What’s your goal?

I’ve been thinking about motivation lately, and the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, money.

But is that really what motivates me? That doesn’t sound quite right. Sure, having money can buy material things that everyone probably wants:

• a house
• a nice car
• vacations
• the freedom to buy things without worrying about the cost

People want some kind of luxury, but how much luxury? Do I really want to be a stereotypical millionaire, living the high life? I’m not so sure.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a millionaire by any means, I’m a middle class kind of guy and I think it’s totally fine to want a comfortable life (who doesn’t want that??). I don’t believe getting money is my goal, it’s just part of the process.

Money as a tool

I believe that having money by itself isn’t really fulfilling at all, it’s just another tool to achieve some of the things you want.

For me, a sense of contribution and getting positive results are the main motivators in my life. Some examples (highly subjective):

• helping someone (I love teaching others cool tech things)
• satisfying your curiosity by learning new things, sharing them with people
• creating something cool (should I buy carpentry tools? or learn lockpicking?)
• working as part of a team
• being committed to getting something done (starting a business = need some $)
• seeing your loved ones live well (usually requires money)

Don’t get me wrong - wanting money is not a bad thing, everyones wants money, it’s important to recognize that it’s a useful tool to achieve our goals in life.

I just believe there are more fulfilling things a human can do that can act as motivators.

So, what motivates you?