Don't chase money, chase value

Money in itself is a big illusion. Money is just what it is, a paper. The value is what we attached to it-To collaborate this, remember the old barter system prior to paper money. All around the world, people, myself inclusive have devoted all their time to chasing money daily, weekly and monthly. It is not supposed to be so.

There is a young man (in his mid-thirties) in my neighborhood that actually caught my interest each passing day. While everyone is busy going to work as early as 8:00 am in the morning and perhaps return from their workplace latest 7:00 pm in the evening, this man leaves for work anytime he likes and comes back anytime he likes. Some days he doesn't go to work at all. This man in question is rich. I became curious and so decided to have a chat with him. Fortunately, he granted me the opportunity. He is the inspiration for this post. When i finally met him, the following short conversation ensued;

Me: Thanks for granting me the opportunity of meeting you sir

HIM: you are welcome.

Me: i must confess that i like the way you do. while everyone is hustling through the rush hour traffic to get their daily bread, you seem unbothered and relax. what job do you do sir?

HIM: as a matter of fact, i don't have a day job. i sell value. take some time to ponder on this.

me: Can you elaborate a little further sir?

HIM: The problem with our world today as it pertain to money making is that people slave their health, time and relationships for money. it suppose to be the other way around. I said I sell value because i don't chase money, i only chase value. there is litany of problems that people are facing daily. your smartness or wit is simply looking for those problems and providing solutions and money will come to you easily.

Me: wow! that's quite interesting. Can you give examples of this "sell value" approach to money making Sir?

HIM: Yeah, first off, let me let you know that i made my first $10,000 in my final year in college. Some would say that it is impossible especially in this harsh economy. but that is the thing with the mind. don't let your thought limit you. While others were complaining about the failure of the government, I was tirelessly asking myself; what value can I bring to people both on campus and off-campus and get paid for it? I started searching for what people usually complain about. I eventually found two. the first one is the problem of transportation and the second one is food delivery service. I solved these problems without investing a dime from my pocket.

For the transportation aspect, students staying off campus in a particular area were having hard time moving from their hostels to their lecture halls. cars or buses couldn't ply the usual route. so i sold the idea to some motorcyclists that weren't aware of the situation. they agreed and i got paid handsomely daily for the operations of these motorcycles.

For the food delivery aspect, students don't usually take lunch while on campus so I teamed up with some food delivery services to deliver food to students that is far away from the cafeteria or those that are lazy to leave the comfort of their lecture halls or hostel rooms for lunch or supper and sometimes breakfast. The food delivery companies paid me handsomely on a weekly basis for this. this went on until i realised i had made over $10,000.

I felt so proud of myself. Since i graduated, i have not looked for a job. i build businesses that revolves around solving problems and have not regretted that decision since then. for instance, i realised that in this vicinity, people usually complain about contaminated water wells. i invested in providing surveying practices where several wells are being monitored and the problem of contamination is identified and erased, so for that people pay easily for the services rendered.

Me: Hmm, pretty much impressive. i guess i have to employ that same technique too.

HIM: Yeah, you should try it. With time, you will climb the ladder to success in money making.

Me: i am quite appreciative for your time sir. thank you very much.

HIM: oh dear, you are welcome. I wish you the best!

Final thoughts

As you can see from the short interview above, money shouldn't be chased. it is value we ought to be chasing. If we do so, we won't work until our old age when we are supposed to be retiring. The best is to make money work for us and not us working for money.

Thanks for reading! feel free to comment if you have other suggestions. it will be highly welcomed.

See you on the next one!