Any goal that is measured in either money or social status, is a goal that is not worth pursuing. With Bitcoin approaching the fabled 20k level I think now is as good of a time as any to discuss my perspective & hopefully we can have a meaningful discussion about this
Ok so what do I mean by this, should you just not aspire to become a millionaire or be famous. Not necessarily. But before I get into that, It's important you understand this. Nobody besides YOU can tell you what to aspire to be.
Okay now that we got that out of the way. Why do I say this?
So I actually came to this realization a couple days ago when I was walking my dog, I was doing some self-reflecting and I came to the realization that happiness is a choice. Now I don't mean that if you're sad you can just press a button and then you're happy. And No. I'm not advocating for people who are sad/depressed to just cheer up What I mean by this is that nothing is inherently bad or good.
Like gravity they're just forces of nature. If an apple falls down because of gravity - it's not a catastrophe, it's just what happens when you let go of an apple. It's only once we add onto these events, judgements like damn I was really hungry for that apple that we get frustrated.
They say there are only 3 certainties in life. Death, taxes, and suffering.
But life can be filled with a lot more happiness if we recognize the central problem with how we view happiness. We are constantly looking for something to fill a whole in our lives… “Oh if I just had more money” “If i just live somewhere nicer” if i just travelled more” “if that person just saw how special I am” LIFE COULD BE A DREAM While these are all fun things to fantasize about, the unfortunate truth is that after you have reached your goal and got that money or vacation, or even the girl of your dreams - at the end of the day you're still stuck with your dissatisfied self.
A person isn't poor if they have little money, they are poor if they seek more - Seneca
Once we realize that the only thing in life that we have any control over is our own thoughts, how we perceive the world and our minds. We can find strength
If your happiness or sense of accomplishment relies on something you have no real control over like your net worth, your social or relationship status - you will never be satisfied, instead you'll just ride a rollercoaster of emotions your entire life as your sense of self is dictated by events you have no control over.
Money if fickle, the stock market can crash, your status can be thrown away in an instant if you can get cancelled, and your wife can leave you but the only thing we can control is our thoughts and how we perceive the world around us
AMOR FATI - love your fate; which just so happens to also be your life
If something you perceive to be good happens to you, say great i love it, if something bad happens to you, also say great I love it, - as now you have an opportunity to better your character, and work towards becoming the best version of yourself
Or in the words of the philosopher formerly known as YE “N-now th-that that don’t kill me, can only make me STRONGER”
Aim to be like Fire always hungry & when an obstacle is thrown in its way, it doesn't stop or question the likelihood of success - it engulfs that object and uses it as fuel as it grows hotter and brighter
Okay so let's bring this back to my original point, while I am a huge proponent of setting goals whether they be daily, monthly, year-long, or even life goals - I think it's essential that we reframe the way we think of them.
For example, instead of having the goal I want to be a millionaire by 30, think about what kind of person you'd want to be at that point and make that your goal instead. Have your goals center around your own self-improvement.
Not that reddit is a great place for research but I have seen way too many posts in finance subreddits, specifically, FIRE where the OP is essentially complaining that they reached their goal - they are financially independent and can retire early but now they're depressed as there's nothing they are working towards.
And they are not alone. I also felt this way. Around a year before i started college my net worth was a solid $0.13 and I remember I was talking to my family and i said by the time I graduate my net worth to be 100k Now I didn't really know how to do this and frankly it seemed kind of impossible when i said it. But in my mind if i could do that through entrepreneurship and investing then I could essentially do anything I put my mind to.
Well fast forward to now, I'm a senior in college and I surpassed my goal, yet I don't feel all that different. To me it's the same thing as a birthday. When you wake up and people ask you do you feel older now? I'm just like no i feel the same as I did yesterday because nothing really changed.
It's not much of an accomplishment.
I did all the heavy lifting already, reading hundreds of annual reports, books on economics & investing, watching youtube videos on 1.5 speed everyday for the past 3 years, and I put that knowledge to use through my investments. That was when I felt most proud of myself - not when the numbers in my portfolio increased. I had no control over my investments going up and that's why it doesn't feel like much of an accomplishment when they do. When my portfolio increases by 10% I don't feel like i'm worth 10% more because it didn't take 10% more effort. Changing my habits, focusing on the long term instead of instant gratification, getting a little bit better everyday. That is what makes me feel accomplished
Ok SO WHAT. should you just not care about money? YES & NO Don't quit on your dreams and aspirations to be successful - at least not because of me, instead just understand that your life will not magically become better once you have that missing link whether it be money, fame, or love, because the ugly part about always craving more is that after you get what you want now that feeling of always wanting more inevitably creeps back into your life.
TLDR: If you can take one thing away from this it's this
ALTER YOUR GOALS SO THEY ARE MEASURED BY YOUR EFFORT & SELF IMPROVEMENT NOT OUTSIDE FACTORS YOU CAN’T CONTROL
LIVE YOUR LIFE AS IF YOU WERE INDEPENDENTLY WEALTHY & STAY CURIOUS
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