Over the past few years, I’ve worked with hundreds of men and women who have everything going for them. They’ve gone to “great” schools, worked for “great” companies, have strong personal and professional networks, and actually enjoy working hard.
These men and women are often identified as “high-potential” and/or “high-performing” by the companies where they work. They are “successful” by traditional socioeconomic standards.
But despite their advantages, something is missing. Despite having all the “tools,” they aren’t waking up each day energized and inspired by the work they’re doing and the lives they’re living.
Something’s Missing, and We Need It NOW
Sound familiar? I suspect so. In fact, the Gallup Organization recently released a study that suggests that more than 70% of the current U.S. workforce is “disengaged” — which is defined by Gallup as “emotionally disconnected” from their work and “less likely to contribute productively.”
70%!
The truth is, I used to count myself among this crowd. I know, firsthand, what “disengaged” feels like. I know how it tastes. I know how it smells. And I know the havoc that it can wreak on both our personal and professional lives. And for those reasons, I know that we can’t allow this dissatisfaction to continue unchecked.
Aside from the obvious (i.e. that it stinks to wake up in the morning dreading the day to come), the world needs more from men and women like you and me.
The world needs us to commit — our energy, resources and capabilities — to solving the world’s big problems.
The world needs us to engage — to fully leverage our talents to inspire, empower and create a better world in our own way.
Why?
Because the world needs champions and, in the words of human rights activist John Lewis, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
Our Money Problem
I measure the success of a “regret free life” by a very simple metric: more men and women waking up energized and excited by the work they’re doing and the lives they’re living; more men and women bringing unique skills and abilities to champion the biggest problems and challenges facing our world.
With that goal in mind, the question I’m always asking is: “What is holding us back?”
More often than not, the answer boils down to the same common excuses:
I don’t have enough time… to work on that project, find a new job, spend time with my children, nurture a new romantic relationship, play, research a new business idea, write a blog, stay connected to old friends, etc.
I don’t have enough experience… to get the job, to justify a request for promotion, to start a new company, to convince others of my idea, etc.
I don’t have enough money yet… to do work I really love; to live where I really want; to be who I really am.
But, of the three, the “money excuse” is (by far) the most common.
In my experience, nothing holds otherwise intelligent men and women back more than the fear of not having “enough” money. And yet, when I push my clients to define and clarify what “enough” means — how much they need to have in order to confidently pursue what they want to do — I am often met with a blank, if not slightly embarrassed, look.
“Well,” they say sheepishly, “all I know is that it’s more than I have right now.”
This is what I call our “money problem.” Our money problem is not that we don’t have enough money. It’s that we don’t really know what “enough” means. (Tweet this thought.) Our money problem is that while we make decisions — very important decisions — based in large part on whether we can “afford” to do them, we have little understanding about what “afford,” as a practical matter, actually looks like.
This is not OK.
We are too intelligent, driven and rational to not know the answer to that question. We have too much energy, passion and potential to allow ourselves to be duped into thinking — and living — so small.
Here’s the Good News
This problem has a solution. It has been solved before. There are lots of really smart men and women who wake up every day and love the life they’re living. The question is, how did they deal with the money problem? How do they define and achieve “enough”?
Over the past six months I’ve been obsessed with this question, and on April 9th, my new eBook on the subject, Regret Free Personal Finance, hit the shelves. In it, I share a smart, simple strategy — including a detailed, 10-step action plan — especially designed to help highly talented men and women overcome the money problem and eliminate forever the words “I can’t afford to” from their vocabulary.
The world needs us to get over our money problem. I look forward to partnering with you on this journey.
How has feeling like you didn’t have “enough” affected your career, and your life? Share in the comments!
This post originally appeared on Regret Free Life.
Image: Flickr
