Money or Meaning

What drives us, drives the trajectory and destiny of our lives. How to harness the powers of motivation and discipline are subjects little taught, and therefore little known.

I worked in what is widely regarded as one of the more lucrative fields - law. During my two years as a practicing lawyer, I was employed by the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office. My position there neither compensated me well, nor motivated me to stick it out until my eventual graduation to a far higher paying private practice gig.

The prospect of money, great as it may have been, did not draw me to remain. Another ideal had captured my focus years ago, and had become sufficiently roused to engulf my attention about the future of my professional life.

Meaning

It’s not that money doesn’t matter. Rather, it has become displaced:

“The three big ones in life are wealth, health, and happiness. We pursue them in that order, but their importance is reversed.” - Naval Ravikant

I’m not the only one to recognize this reality either.

A recent study compared compensation (how much you earn and how much is performance-contingent) and work design (how complex or varied the job is, how much autonomy you have, and how much feedback you get) in explaining the motivation, performance, and well-being of the workers.

Their findings were consistent with my thoughts:

Work design consistently beat pay - day-to-day features were a stronger force for promoting autonomous motivation, performance, and well-being.

For those working a job, a fair salary covering all the basics and more is still necessary. However, the systems which activate our willingness to strive are not simply linked to more money.

While the mentioned study focuses its attention on employees, I am extrapolating it to professional selection entirely.

With its findings in mind, how can someone best select the course of their profession, whether employee or entrepreneur?

Find what you love, what drives your interest, what stokes your passion, what fuels you, what you’re inspired to follow, what comes naturally - and learn how to bring value to others with it. - The Jacob Templer Education Model

Of course, the younger and less encumbered someone is will enable greater flexibility of pursuit… but there is a version of this path for all who truly desire it.

Sincerely,

Jacob

P.S. Iguazu Falls is in a class of it’s own in the waterfall world.

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