Have you ever noticed that when eager, young entrepreneurs talk about their plans for the future, they often speak of getting jobs or starting businesses in order to make a lot of money? On the other hand, when those who are older and have experienced more of life are asked the same question, the response is often quite different. These individuals will often talk about passion, having fun, and enjoying life with money making endeavors much lower on the list of priorities. So, that leaves me asking the question “Who is right…and why?”

Really, both parties answering the question want to arrive at the same end. Those who are so focused on making money want to do so in order to fully enjoy life and have the resources to seek their passions and follow their desires. The difference, then, is in getting to this goal.

With the older generation, there is a stronger realization that time is limited, and that making money requires a lot of your life. Their advice to follow your passion and what you want to do stems from this line of thinking. Younger individuals, though, see life as something much more long-term and therefore feel that it is worth working an unenjoyable job for a few years…or decades…to amass savings and cash for the future years of fun. But, what if they could both be right? What if a person could make great money, doing exactly what they love everyday? What if the dream could also be the cash cow?

Just recently, I came across an interesting video on YouTube where Alan Watts asked the question “What if money was no object?” What would you choose to do with each day of your life if you weren’t persuaded by the desire…or need…for money? According to Watts, once you have answered this question, you should just forget about the money and do what makes you happy. While this may seem outlandish to some, Watts argues that it is the best way to make the money you want and need. If someone truly has a passion for what they are doing, they will become excellent at it and the money will follow that excellence. Sounds reasonable, right?

So, I challenge you to take a few moments and ask yourself “What if money was no object?” And when you truly can answer this question with honesty to yourself, take a little bit more time and evaluate how far from this answer you are currently. Will you spend your days chasing after money in order to one day do what you are passionate about? Or will you begin now, living each day fully, and let your dreams lead you to a place of financial sufficiency? That’s for you to decide.

“Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way…therefore it is so important to consider this question…’What do I desire?’” – Alan Watts

[Image via Shutterstock]