Follow The Love Not The Money

I have one or two golden rules in life, and one of them is if you look after the love the money will follow. And even if it doesn't you still have the love. And that is a priceless commodity. Look out on the world around you, close your eyes and listen for the call, the call to dedicate your life to something for the love of it, not for the money.

There are two reasons us humans do what we do. We do it for the money or for the love of it. If you have both you are a very lucky person indeed. After that, either one will keep us in the game. If neither are there it's time to pack your bags and leave. If I had to choose which one I would do it for, it would have to be for the love of it every time.

Money has never been my big objective and never ever will be. I've seen it come and I've seen it go. It is simply a means to an end. Love on the other hand is an end in itself.

I see so many people obsessed with money and a more miserable bunch I have never met. It seems as if nothing is ever enough to sate their appetite for the green folding stuff. On the other hand I have also seen very wealthy people who are happy in the extreme, just as they would be without all the money that they have.

Elon Musk seems to me like somebody who is having enormous fun just with what he's doing. He's like a big kid with the biggest toy kit you ever saw in your life.

Electric cars, space rockets, etc, etc. His joy and enthusiasm is infectious and inspirational. He's having a whale of a time. And I get the impression that he would be the same without his billions.

I used to work for a guy who is a millionaire and he is so consumed with making ever more money I really don't know how he can live with himself. He runs around all day screaming out his mantra to his employees like a man possessed "C'mon, let's make money, lots of money, we need money."

He even passed it on to his kids. One day he brought his young six-year old son into work and the lad went straight up to remonstrate with a senior manager and said "When are you going to work harder and sell more product to make my dad more money?" How awful for that manager to have a six-year old kid speak to him in that way. And how is that kid going to be when he grows up ?

I have some very close friends who have done very well in business, especially in high finance. I'm talking about enough money to buy your own small island. Eventually, they quit. One of them, I'll call him Michael, said to me

"Liam, the problem with operating in that environment where money is god, is you loose your soul."

Another one, James, said exactly the self same thing. They both bailed out for a good night's sleep and a better life. I see both these two guys now enjoying life more than they ever did before. They got out while the going was good.

If you do what you love doing don't worry, the money will come in. Clients will come to you because of why you are doing it. You may not end up stinking rich, but tell me how much of it can you take with you to heaven, if that is where you're headed?

With love, what you will make is more than enough to live well, to pay your bills and to live in comfort. How many yachts and Ferraris do you want to leave behind when you die?

Now there was once a man who dedicated his life to a dream and a love of his fellow man. I have absolutely no doubt, if he had wanted, he could have been the richest man on the planet. In fact, he was and he still is, the richest man on the planet, not with money but with the love of the people who he fought for.

Martin Luther King followed not the money but a dream, a beautiful dream for all of his people. What a truly noble calling for a man to hear, the call to make things better, fairer more equitable. And to this day the love for this man is still as vibrant as it ever was. And it will last a darn site longer than any amount of money you can name.

This man loved his people so much he died for them. I am in awe of him. God may he rest in peace.

And you know what, in these challenging times that we live in, we need to take a step back a few moments and stop being obsessed about doing things for the money and how much we can accumulate in a week, a month, a year, a lifetime…..There are worthier causes which will more than pay the bills. Follow your heart, your dreams, follow the love and the money will come all by itself.

Be inspired to make a difference to the world we all live in. And when you die leave a legacy of love, not money.