So You Want To Be A Trillionaire

No, I do not want to be a trillionaire.

In fact, when people express a desire to win the mega millions lottery, I usually cringe and think: Do you have any idea what that would do to your life?

I don’t mean it would turn you into an egotistical, narcissistic, money hungry scourge on society. (Although it may be possible that any current trillionaires we have may fit that description, so take that data point as you will.)

I mean that managing that amount of money and assets would be a full-time job.

Actually, more than a full-time job; you’d need a staff of accountants and lawyers to manage it all. You’d also need impenetrably thick skin to handle the countless requests for money you’d receive. You’d probably have a staff for that too (usually in the form of establishing a foundation/charity).

All that is a very different way to spend your life than what you’re doing now. Some of it wonderful, some of it painful.

Ultimately, if any of us found ourselves in the position to take on unfathomable gobs of money, I hope we’d develop a purposeful, mission-driven structure to faithfully steward that money for the greatest good, for ourselves and far beyond ourselves.

And yes, when you’re not limited by money, many aspects of life become easier. It’s like being born in line for the British throne. Yes, their lives are pampered and privileged beyond anything else, but it’s also an enormous, constant responsibility that isn’t easily shirked and always in the public eye.

Most of us will never find ourselves in such a position. And that’s why we’re far better off focused on making a living, not a killing.

The purpose of money is to facilitate the exchange of value to live a safe, secure, fulfilling life.

Money makes it possible to feed, clothe, and shelter ourselves and our family.

It’s essential in the modern world.

But it also forces us to remember the meaning of enough.

Too many people place money, and the power it brings, as the highest value, procuring as much as possible as the purpose of one’s time on Earth.

And that drive is rather contagious as a culture. We all feel it.

But when we reframe our fiscal goals as earning a living, that required to fulfill our needs and facilitate our desires for a fulfilling and purposeful existence, things change.

More and more isn’t always the answer; that pursuit can actually become a burden, a temptation, and a curse.

So focus on earning and managing a living, defining what that means and how much that really is for you.

And don’t get lost chasing a killing while what’s most important in life gets left behind.

Anything beyond your purposeful definition of enough is just extra.