But what about the other way? What about the rare alternative method of becoming a millionaire? What about the lottery? Where instant millionaire status can randomly be bestowed upon anyone regardless of social status, career, or for that matter, effort. For just the price of a ticket, instantly your life could change. One day you are a 28 year old man, living with a roommate, with a half decent career, pulling in alright money, dealing with your average joe problems and the next morning you are handed 22 million dollars. Overnight, the world is different. Now sure the chances are slim and we admittedly don't all play, but we have all at one time dreamed about what it would be like to instantly win millions of dollars. I can't tell you how many times I have had this conversation with different people. The roundtable illustrations of what you would do or what you would buy or how you would divvy up your bounty. It truly is food for thought…
The strongest cause for debate I find in these conversations is not how much money you would give your family and friends, or how much money you would invest so you could establish a steady annual stream of cash from the interest, or even whether you would buy a yacht or a summer home…but rather the issue of still working. Those "pro-maintaining a steady job" types argue that despite the financial independence they would be bored without a job. They would be unfulfilled without the regular routine a career affords them. Now in defense of my position I ask "how uncreative are these people?"
I know we must enjoy what we do for a living and many do really like how they spend their requisite 40-50 hours a week, but at the end of the day we are doing it for a pay cheque. Seriously, if we weren't being paid would you really want to be a salesman of computer hardware, an account director for an advertising agency, or a school teacher? All of these jobs we each choose to do are fulfilling ways for us to make money…period. Maybe you are a stronger willed person then me, but if I knew I was financially secure beyond my wildest dreams I wouldn't want to be somewhere at 9 am to be instructed by a "boss" to write a report. A career to me doesn't define fulfillment. A career is a means to an end. Fulfillment to me is to be satisfied. And I honestly would be satisfied by doing the things I wanted to do. Traveling, doing as many new unique activities as possible, never wanting for anything, constantly learning and experiencing new things, and most importantly being around loved ones. That is the freedom that being a "millionaire" can afford you.
You'd be bored? So the only cure for boredom is to have your days regimented by a work schedule? Pal, you got to get some new hobbies. Now I am not saying I would spend all my days sipping bourbon in a hot tub (but I am sure I would do that for the first few weeks). Think of all the things you could do and all the places you could see? I could easily fill out a lifetime agenda. I would write, I would read, I would visit and spend time with friends and family, I would travel, I would enjoy my hobbies to the utmost, I would get new hobbies, I would learn new things, I would attend every event I ever wanted to… and my friend, the list would go on and on.
Perhaps I would buy a bar or a restaurant to have something that would be mine that I could share with others. Or I can respect those that would continue to pursue the arts like acting, painting, or playing music. Those are passions that need not be associated with financial rewards. Say what you will, but dental hygiene, media buying, and electronic engineering aren't passions…they are jobs.
I feel for those that say without a job, despite limitless wealth, that they would be bored or unfulfilled. It is sad to think these people can't be satisfied without a "job" to define them. True wealth is the pursuit of experiences, not the pursuit of occupations. For those that say money can't buy happiness…well, they might just be shopping in the wrong places.
…but that's just my opinion.
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