Comments on: Why Work?

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:26:49 +0000

I love it – “do you need paper towels at all?” It’s partly your blog that convinced I didn’t need most of the stuff I had. Keep up the good work! It inspires me to go for the minimalist / traveling / grad school aboard life I really want.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:38:45 +0000

It’s not just why we work but what are the particulars that can make work enjoyable if you’re just earning a living. I really had to think about this in detail after I left a job that wasn’t providing growth opportunities for one making 50% more $ and was dreadfully unhappy. The work circumstances also shook my confidence in myself for a bit. It’s taken a lot of soul searching and thought to figure out what I really need at a job to make it enjoyable so that I can enjoy my passions on the side as they won’t pay all the bills.
Kara, et al – Take a look at “The Renaissance Soul” by Margaret Lobenstine, also try the updated Meyers Briggs Type Indicator test. Great for getting insight into one’s self.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:43:21 +0000

Dang nabbit. I was happy with my saving/spending before this blog post. Now I keep thinking how nice it would be to have 10 million dollars. But the sacrifice involved to get said 10 million dollars would put a deep crimp in my life today and for the next couple of decades, by which point in time my priorities (and housing costs in Northern CA) will have changed. I don’t want to work more or watch money more carefully or stop donating to things… I want to enjoy life now too.

Before I was planning for a more relaxed financial independence with better trade-offs and a happier today. I need to get back into that mindset. I work because it provides compensating differentials of many kinds. It may not optimize, but it definitely satisfices. And satisficers are happier.

By: Priscilla

Priscilla — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:35:42 +0000

“Find out what makes you come alive and do it” I’ve heard. Fine idea. But what if what makes you come alive does not pay the bills? I think it’s just as honorable to work at a job you somewhat enjoy in order to earn enough money to support “what makes you come alive”. For me, I’m passionate about buying old real estate and fixing it up. I love making things more beautiful. Trouble is, buying real estate takes a lot of capital which I just don’t have. So, I’ve focused on our home and yard and have done the best I can with them. This is satisfying to me, and hasn’t cost a ton of money to boot.

By: Razlan

Razlan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:48:33 +0000

If I have ten million dollars…

I will travel the world in no hurry, and blog about my tales in leisure. I will share what I found on my journeys, so my friends can benefit from my experience. I will make new friends all over the world, and will be proud to call myself a seasoned traveler. I can work for Lonely Planet. Not because of the money, but because I could.

By: Candi

Candi — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:38:48 +0000

Hmm 10 million, alas my dream would be to run my own used book store/coffee shop (and by coffee I do not mean mocha latte foam things, just actual coffee). This alas would probably burn through the 10 mil long before I got too old to do it, lol. So maybe one day when I am retired. . .

By: Mule Skinner

Mule Skinner — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:59:56 +0000

If I had ten million dollars I would buy a nice oceangoing sailboat, hire a bunch of Filipino or Sri Lankan girls as crew, and then . . .

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:06:33 +0000

Half the things I love to do are allergenic, and I can do them only seasonally or in small doses. The rest pay minimum wage. Ouch!

By: Moby Homemaker

Moby Homemaker — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:44:07 +0000

I have been out of work for nearly a year…I have wrestled with the desire to do something I “love” and going back to the mundaneness of the business world. The harsh reality is–I need money. I am positioning myself to work AND actively pursue what I love in my free time. Hopefully, I can build that into a career at some point.

By: Kristen@TheFrugalGirl

Kristen@TheFrugalGirl — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:18:29 +0000

Maureen…yes, that is a lovely point. I teach piano to make money, but also to serve my students by helping them learn to make music. I make money doing photography, but I also do it to bless other people with nice, but affordable pictures of their families.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:16:26 +0000

Agree with Maureen #23. Maybe it’s the very tiny Karl Marx that lives in my heart, but my answer to “Why work?” would be that work is an act of self-creation.

By: almost there

almost there — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:01:54 +0000

Retired at 50 and thought I would be in Hawaii now doing the recovery from the Great Aloha Run yesterday. Our dog and his expenses keep us from just up and leaving for all parts of the world and we will adjust until he is no longer with us. As for why work? It bring in an income until one retires. Then you can reflect back on how work sucked the life out of you. As a lifelong worker bee I never called the shots. Now I just want to be like the Dude in the Big Lebowski movie and do a whole lot of whatever I want.

By: SP

SP — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:58:29 +0000

It is good to encourage those who never thought about how to make a living at something they love. That being said…

I think it is more important to create a life you love than a job you “love” (because even those whose careers are very passion based must do drudgery to make it profitable). for some, the two are inseperable. For many, they really aren’t and don’t need to be.

I do not wish to turn any of my favorite passions into a business. Instead I wish to use my talents at my day job, and spend my ample free time playing with the things I like, the way I like, when I like… without trying to squeeze a profit out of them. And when my interests shift, I follow them!

Please don’t tell me I’ve settled and gave up on my dreams! I reach for my dreams all the time, and I’ve seen many of them come true. And many of them came true BECAUSE of my normal career, not in spite of it.

Love life and live a passionate life, in whatever way works for you.

By: Early Retirement Extreme

Early Retirement Extreme — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:51:28 +0000

Indeed, why work and not do whatever whenever? I think the main mistake, at least this is what people tell me, is in not realizing that there are other ways to get money than by working for it.

More specifically, not accepting that this is an option for most people, and not just for the wealthy heirs, the lottery winners, or those who got lucky with their business. Of course it does require some work to that stage, less than a decade of employee work including education, but after doing so, the problem of not being able to make money doing what one loves becomes somewhat of a nonissue.

By: Kara

Kara — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:39:40 +0000

Any good resources for figuring out what you want to be when you grow up? Books, aptitude tests, etc??

By: LeanLifeCoach

LeanLifeCoach — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:48:27 +0000

We all work for only two reasons, to cover today’s expenses and to provide for tomorrows. If you can accomplish this doing what you love, you are fortunate. If not, you can either take the path of financial sacrifices and live on less, or you can sacrifice what you love doing for what you have to do to achieve your financial goals and the eventual freedom to do what you really want.

By: Kerry D

Kerry D — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:02:56 +0000

I love Maureen’s point–the value of the work itself is often important in the contribution to our communities.

Also wanted to mention my experience–as a young adult, got a college degree in Business (family pressure to be practical), had a $$$ job I hated, quit when I had kids and was lucky to be able to care for them at home when they were small… then, I went back to grad school to pursue my dream–I’d always LOVED dance. Degree in hand, I’ve enjoyed teaching (dance technique and theory) in the college environment the last 7 years, but it’s a very different experience than dancing for my own pleasure. Turning a hobby/love into a profession adds a different focus and pressure to perform at a high level. It is really different. Still glad I did it.

By: The 20K Mom

The 20K Mom — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:59:04 +0000

Funny to read this article, as i am a stay at home mom to my two kids. Though I am at home, I do WORK, lots and lots of work. Most of the work I do–childcare, laundry, scratch cooking–is to keep my family from spending too much money so that we can live on my husband’s salary. But the value of my work is also in giving me a purpose, teaching good values to my children, and keeping our family happy and healthy.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:28:10 +0000

I think my answer to the question “Why work?” would have been a discussion of the value of the work in question rather than focusing on the monetary aspect. For example, ‘I work so that children can learn to read’ or ‘so that sick people will feel better’ or ‘so that we can live in a clean home and enjoy delicious meals’. You might have replied to your son that you work so that people all around the world can share ideas on using their money wisely.

By: done that

done that — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:02:57 +0000

Trent – great post. And the comments really bring out the issues.
@Julie – exactly what I would have said. I love homemaking and growing a garden. May save us some money but doesn’t make a living. And my current passion is traveling which takes bucks, even with volunteering vacations.
I like the brownie example. I have several skills that could make pocket money but then they wouldn’t be fun anymore.
I have two friends who are successful artists. One makes posters and greeting cards to pay his bills and then paints as he likes. It doesn’t matter how long his paintings hang in the gallery or even if they sell because he covers his living expenses with his commercial art. My other friend is a potter and makes spectacular pieces. However, each year he also gears up for the local fairs and does production work, turning out several batches of matching cups, plates, bowls, etc. Maybe that’s like writing a blog for your living and writing fiction just for you. Maybe you’ll sell a novel, maybe not, but you weren’t writing it because you need the money.