Creation Is My Why
Creation Is My Why
Why do we do what we do? Why do we spend so much time in the personal finance blogosphere talking about financial independence and retiring early? The answers abound in general terms, but often each individual has their own reasons. Your financial journey is deeply personal. It would be shallow to say that it’s just about control. No matter how hard we try to risk mitigate, we can’t control everything. It would be unsatisfying to say that it is about time. Time passes whether we are working or not. We truly have no say in that. It would be shortsighted to say that it is all about escaping the work place. We will do work our whole lives whether employed or not. Some of that work will be deeply meaningful while other times it will just be doing the dishes because they need to be done. The farther I fall down this self exploration rabbit hole the more I realize the essence of the journey. Creation is my why.
What do I mean?
Creation not Accumulation
I spent the first half of my life thinking accumulation was purpose. If I could just work hard enough, make more, and save better. This brought satisfaction. To some extent. I felt great knowing that I was safe, and had a modicum of control over my life.
But the inevitable question began to surface the older I got. What am I trying to take control of? Money? My time? My life?
Difficult questions that again came with a glaring answer. I have a certain lack of control over my life. There is only so much I can do. Markets rise and fall. Time progresses without respite. Money is just an intermediary. All things that I could grasp for control over, but often felt more peaceful when I was willing to accept imperfection and a touch of helplessness.
My why had to be something deeper. It couldn’t be all about security and wealth. It couldn’t even be all about family and vacations and leisure.
The answer was something that was always there, but had been pushed to the background by more important issues.
Creation is my why.
Hobby vs Purpose
Before reaching financial independence, creation was always a part of my life. A beleaguered, secondary, afterthought when the kids were asleep and the workday was over. An anemic attempt to produce meaning and creativity in the wee hours when everybody else was resting.
This sustained me. For awhile. But as I discovered financial independence and began to consider my half retirement, the urge to create took over.
Creation is my why. Writing, public speaking, podcasting, and communicating. It is the reason I choose to get up and motivate each day. Not working. Not doctoring (although for most of my life it has been). It is the fuel to my FIRE.
If You Weren’t Getting Paid
What would you do with your life if you had enough money? What job would you perform if the boss fired you, and said the only way you could continue is if you volunteer your time?
If you can respond to these questions, then you know you’re why. Creation is my why. I will continue to write, public speak, and podcast even if no one listens. Even if I never make a dime. Even if I die in obscurity reaching no more than a handful of people.
Because I must.
I see no other way forward.
Final Thoughts
Retirements or half retirements aren’t for everybody. Certainly it helps to have a plan to keep occupied in all those spare hours. While it sounds like a luxury unto itself, there is no reason to stop being employed if you don’t know what your goal is. You have to know your why.
Creation is my why.
What is yours?
This is an arrow through the heart of my life’s present chapter. Are you telepathically rummaging around in my head? I am grateful that you are driven by your Why of Creation! Happy Thanksgiving!
You too. Great minds think alike.
Would I do what I do without getting paid? Of course, I do what I do regardless. I did what I did and that history of doing created a fortune and helped a lot of people, so I’m fortunate on 2 fronts. At some point all I was doing was creating risk in my life. My specialty is such that things don’t often go wrong but when they do, it’s a dozy. A few more bucks on the pile wasn’t worth the risk. I was paying for my return with too much risk. During the course of my life I went back into engineering as well working with (not for) a company developing a specific kind of software. The knowledge was and is fascinating, the people are brilliant, and the technology is world class. Some of the products reside on the space station and are used by the station to track ship location at sea as an example. Ships once off shore are alone and the SS flies overhead at least once a day and can keep tabs on then in case of emergency. I don’t make a nickel off that, but I’m rich in the experience both collegial and engineering wise. I home schooled my kids (with my wife). I didn’t make a nickel off that but paid for it, big money. My wife forwent her career to be a SAHM so we could accomplish that goal and it probably cost me 2M in lost wages and compounding. Doesn’t matter. I have great kids who can actually think and formulate, are entrepreneurial, employed and are adults, not whining post modern miscreant babies with tattoo’s all over their face. I write financial stuff because I think financial stuff. One of my first book reports was on Jesse Livermore, a second on the stock market, and a third on Marxism as an economic theory, all before I graduated grade school. I’m a systems guy, all of that history is system analysis and design. I’m presently reading a book by Greenspan on Capitalism and a book by Catherine of Sienna a 14th century mystic Dominican Nun. I have zero interest in making more money (a bit of a pun) or turning my time into a business and all the associated BS. I already did business. I/we have more than enough. I’ve analyzed it to death, so now I’ll just let it be dead, but that 600 year old Catherine of Sienna book, that chick was theologically deep. Ima catch up with her.
You have done a good job of disattaching your why from money. Trying to do the same.
Your why is to create value for others. And that’s a beautiful thing that all of us aspire to do 🙂
Create for others and myself too.
Knowing your why is what will keep you going when the pager goes off at 2am, when the patient in the ED who is high on meth spits in your face, and when the patient you worked all night to save dies as the sun comes up. It is very important for you to firmly establish your why. If you haven’t done it already, write it down. You will need to read it during the low times in your career.
Dr. Cory S. Fawcett
Prescription for Financial Success
My why, however, is pulling me away from that pager.
Awesome! What an exploration, put into words!
We are all on our unique, “why” paths . Some will get to Financial Independence,
some will live paycheck to paycheck, some will be able to retire comfortably. And some will always struggle.
The yoga phrase comes to mind here which bears mentioning ; namaste. The light in me respects the light in you 🙂
Respect, for all you are & do! Happy Thanksgiving!
happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I read this yesterday and it hit home as I look at what is going to happen next in my life as far as work/retirement/other efforts. I’ve looked at the past and thought about when I felt most satisfied and proud and it is when I was creating. I think many in the Financial Independence space including bloggers, podcasters, and speakers probably feel the same way so this space is an environment with a framework they can use to excel. For them, the actual money part is simply a byproduct of their desire to create. From hairstylist to landscapers, from bloggers to musicians, from woodworkers to businessbuilders, all are creators. Stepping back and seeing something of value created for an audience, even if the audience is just the creator, can be very satisfying. Thanks for writing this post DocG.
I can’t wait to see all the things you create as you move to a similar place in your career as me.