It's Gotta Be About More Than The Money
If you're paying any attention to sports, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, that's ok, just know that the money won, and we were all given more reason to collectively wring our hands, clutch our pearls, and thumb our noses at "the man."
Whenever your favorite sport gets intermingled with concerns over geopolitical strategy and human rights violations, it's easy to get cynical, or at least distracted by the thing that brought you there in the first place.
While I'm fascinated by what's gone on this week at the highest levels of professional golf, the game itself hasn't changed. I'm still going to watch men and women do things with the golf ball that I'll never be able to do and chase their dreams of success. I still practice and play, looking for shreds of improvement that might help me take another stroke off my handicap this year, and I enjoy the pursuit of all the other lessons I learn along the way.
Regardless of all the money that's getting thrown around in the public-facing aspects of our sport, for most of the people participating, it's about so much more than that. I think that's what we need to keep in mind as sales professionals.
I believe sellers only want three things, and in this order:
They want to do good work that they're proud of
They want recognition for doing that work
They'd like to be paid for it
The money may carry more or less importance in your professional journey depending on where you are in it (something I'm covering in a couple of episodes in the upcoming Season 5 of the Rethink The Way You Sell podcast), but cash is a trailing indicator. There's a purpose to the work you do. Without alignment to that purpose, you'll never be fulfilled, and you'll never do your best work.
I'm not demonizing money. I did that too often early in my life, and it hurt me more than it ever helped. I just believe that when it's your focus, you lose sight of all the other stuff that's ultimately more meaningful.
You've seen the data that correlate money to happiness, and you know that correlation stops well below the average income of the readers of this newsletter. It's likely, then, that if you're looking for more money to make you happy, you're running a fool's errand. It begs the question...
What are you really looking for?
This is something I've been asking myself a lot lately, especially over the past couple of years. I don't have a complete answer yet, and I suspect it will continue to change as I age and grow. I can tell you that simply seeking the answer has brought me a better perspective, different expectations, and an increasing sense of peace.
It also brings with it a sense of increased control. The things that are most important to me are almost never subject to the whims of "the people with all the money." Macroeconomic factors aside (and yes, the economy impacts my business), when you get more fulfillment from what you do than what you get paid for it, there's always a way to feel good.
It's easy to get frustrated. There's always more money to be made. What's more frustrating is that there always seems to be someone making more of it than you who you don't think deserves to. Do your best to avoid that distraction, and focus instead on your bigger purpose. I guarantee you'll be happier.
