The Problem With Making Money-Oriented Goals Early In Life

Reality slapped me across the face

If you are figuring your life out, don’t go for monetary goals.

Money goals are made because they are quantifiable and easily subdivided. Fair enough.

But that is for companies and maybe employees who want to show measurable progress.

Successful people encourage you to make goals like this in your life but I am not the richest person in the world so give me the pass.

My experience with making a money goal

I made a goal to reach a million dollars in a year.

I had just shifted to Canada, and of course, an environment change brings a mindset change with it.

This is where life really felt real. I no longer wanted to waste time on anything, I wanted to focus on what really mattered — money.

That was how I thought of it.

I surfed the internet to find get rich quick schemes. After all, I had a paramount goal and I had to make something special happen.

If you had been following the same space then, you would be aware of the infamous copy-paste templates to earn upwards of $20,000 a month era.

I was over the moon. This was everything I wanted.

The money gurus told me the minimum anyone makes from this is 20-grand so I did the math. If I worked more and scaled it, I might manage to get to 90-grand. A million was within an arms reach.

All exhilarated, I started.

I called companies with low ratings (as I was told to) and basically told them I had the magic potion they were waiting for all this time.

I told them to pay me for every 5-star rating I get them as well as getting them more clients through social media marketing.

I was the knight in shining armour who had come to save them from the shambles the pandemic had left of their businesses.

Of course, they cut the call. I did this like 20 times before I realised that maybe they weren't the problem — I was.

The reason I was doing this was a get rich quick scheme I had opened myself to because I had no skill.

Why would they trust me or take me up on this offer? There was no good reason.

I had sat on this rally train to get ahead of others. It was time to stop obsessing over it.

The conversation I had with myself was tough. It was true — I had no marketable skill.

The key to moving forward was accepting that.

The plan was a shambles.

Not only was it a shambles, but it had also made me waste a few months.

Even though my ‘success guru’ was yelling NO EXCUSES in my ear, I had to ignore it.

I gave up. I am proud of it.

Imagine being proud of giving up — that was how addicted I was to it.

The thing is, that technique must have worked for many people, but when I gave myself time to think before acting further, it wasn't what I wanted to do.

I didn't like what I was going after. I was pulled in by the greedy hands of money.

My problem with monetary goals

My own problem stemmed from the fact I had no skill I could place for sale in the marketplace.

So, when I made a “money goal” I had to take a shortcut.

My plan was “I will work insanely hard”

I didn’t answer the question, “On what?”

Money?

I thought it would all come to me, but for it all to come to you, you have to look for it. You can’t just do what's hot in the get rich space.

You have to have dirt on you to develop — Steve Harvey

I wanted it all without any dirt. I wanted a shortcut.

Many people have been there, and if that is your plan you are in for a rude awakening.

Yes, hard work can make miracles happen and if I stuck around longer, maybe I would have gotten the car moving. But if the car moves very fast and the engine cant contain it, it might blast into pieces.

Failing in something I wanted with all my heart was depressing, yes, but it was essential.

I was in love with money, but I had done nothing to deserve it.

The actual problem with making money based goals early in life

When you make massive money goals, you get blinded by that big pile of cash.

If there is something very big in front of you, it doesn’t let you see anything else.

You make decisions with a chip on your shoulder. That chip is meaningless but controlling.

I learnt that my reason has to go beyond just money.

Have a unique reason as to why you want something

Deep reasons pull you through the deepest oceans and tallest obstacles. They give you something more than a piece of paper with George Washington’s face on it. They give you meaning.

We all want meaning.

Think to yourself, is the purpose of your life to get rich? Doesn’t that seem weak? Is that enough to make you want to give more every time you fail?

Yes everyone wants to be rich but your purpose is more than that.

Your purpose gets you rich, being rich doesn't give you purpose.

Everyone has a personal story, a certain uniqueness about them. That I think is what makes up the purpose. Because it is unique.

Money is not a deep goal. It is not unique to you.

Yes, if you are broke and have a family to manage, it is a totally different case. But, if you have the bare essentials, and are starting to figure out stuff, don’t make money goals.

It is a way to rush things, people encourage that to pull others in.

When you ask someone what they want to do, it is easy to say I want to be rich or make a difference or whatnot.

That is the same.

But when you ask why you want to make the difference, then the personal story comes, the story that makes you different. The story that defines you.

So,

What is your story? How does it make you different? Is it worth sharing?

That should define your life, money will come at its own time. Have faith.

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