What Would You Do If You Had Everything You Always Wanted?

Filed in archive Happiness on July 12, 2006

This is not a problem many of us have, but it's a problem that's fun and worthwhile to think about. Steve Pavlina, who has made a name for himself in the blogosphere for his personal development essays, is wondering what to do when your work is something you'd do for free but you're making more money from it than you know what to do with.

In Steve's case, he is making plenty of money, believes he will continue to do so in the forseeable future, and thus doesn't know what to do with what's left over. He could invest it, but why invest when he feels like he has too much? He wants to ensure the money goes toward something useful, something that benefits more than his personal bottom line, so he's considering charity or forming a non-profit.

Here's what I'd tell Steve, knowing only what he has divulged in today's article:

Don't Give It All Away - Unless you've socked away enough money to last you the rest of your life and/or you have plenty of insurance to guard against catastrophe, you're going to want to hold on to more than you might think.

It's easy to feel like what's happening today will last forever, but future success is not guaranteed, and future health is not guaranteed. What would happen if your successful business went in the toilet, or a stroke rendered you unable to work at all? It's no fun to think about, but having personally experienced very high highs and very low lows in the money-making arena, I know now to always stay on guard. Until you feel secure that you have enough for the rest of your life, keep funding your future.

But Give Some Of It Away - There are a zillion worthwhile non-profits in the world, and they are very willing to use your money in a way that you see fit. So, if you have money to give but don't like the idea of just giving it "to charity," find a non-profit whose work you especially believe in and find a specific issue or project they are working on that your money can help fund. Or, if you have a whole lot of money to give, you might even suggest your own idea and have them carry it out with your money. Your feeling of making a difference will intensify if you can see the result.

A few years back, when I had an especially good year, I gave a sizable (at least to me) scholarship to a local high school student. I worked with the school to define the criteria used in awarding the money, and got to see which student would be getting it. It was extremely satisfying to feel like the money would make a difference. I also felt that it was an ever-so-small investment in my community, which takes me to my last point...

Employ Others - I have a relative who's a small business owner with about 100 employees, and I see that even more than his personal monetary success, he loves knowing that he has created a livelihood for others.

So, if you have the financial means and a desire to do good, form a business that will employ others. You might not even have to run the business if you have enough capital to get it started.

What type of business? I don't know. That's another post altogether.

For me, creating jobs in a for-profit environment is preferable to starting a non-profit. You can create jobs while offering a product or service that you can feel proud of. What to do with the business profits? Be like Paul Newman--give all your after-tax profits away to non-profits.

Steve obviously has the skills to generate income. I believe he should put those to use in an environment where he creates value via both jobs and the product or service delivered.

No offense to anyone in the non-profit world, but we need another non-profit like we need a hole in the head. There are plenty of non-profits doing important work. What do they all want and need? Money. If you're good at generating money, why not do what you're skilled at and fund the projects others are doing to change the world?

Well, Steve, that's the way I look at it. Everyone's got their own desires, skills, and outlook. Congratulations on reaching a place where you no longer have to worry about you and can put even more of your emphasis on lifting up others. I think that's a dream we'd all like to share in.