Why Work?

Lately, it appears that there's a toss up between getting a job or starting a business. The thing is starting a business is becoming so academic that there are now definitions as to who is / isn't an entrepreneur. The discussions are now spinning out as to if the business is designed for growth / just the lifetime of the owner complete with further drilling down of all the surrounding factors.

The various analyses have lead me to a question that I don't believe many people seriously ask themselves. I say seriously since the default answer regardless of whether they are looking at working for themselves / someone else seems to stem from being able to pay bills.

I have been alive long enough to see the spending power of currency shrink. Once upon a time, $x would have enabled you to take 2 or more trolleys to the check out counter of most supermarkets. Nowadays, that same $x would allow you to look through the trolley of goods and see the floor beneath. In other words, the trolley would not even be half full and the money's already gone. May I hasten to add that you still would not have been able to purchase everything that you needed.

So why work? 

• Is it enough to say we want to be able to pay our bills or should we be able to have at least some discretionary income? Governments don't seem to think so as they think of taxes of every type to acquire our often hard earned money with nary an incentive to encourage spending that would result in money making opportunities. Not everyone wishes to engage in squandermania. 
• Will we ever break the cycle of more month than money? 
• What are we doing to build our financial IQ so that we can spot and capitalize on opportunities?
• The days of one job and employment loyalty are a quickly fading memory of the past. Everyone's tuned into the station WIIFM [what's in it for me]. Yet the biographies of the rich and laden with stories of how much they give, and the fact that the more they give the more they get. 
• Athletes and entertainers are paid lots of money for doing one thing well. Yet many of us try to do many different things often unsuccessfully. When will we learn the power of focus. 
• What do we gain from work? Do we work because we want to or because we have to? The difference in answer will assist in determining our attitudes towards our work. 
• Is it only about the money? Many people are going to work so numb nowadays, seldom giving any serious thought to their work unless they hear that it, work, is threatened with cessation. 
• Is owning a business better than working for someone? The answer for this all depends on you. I have met people who have been quite successful in both situations. Their success stems in a large part from their attitudes. 

Various people have different reasons as to why they should work. For the others who are unsure, identify why you do work, decide if this is what you want to do with regards to making your contribution. Then make the adjustments in your life to find your true calling. Once you've take these steps you'll be crystal clear in your mind as to why you should work. Today find your Why for Working!