The Biggest Game in Life (圖)

The Biggest Game in Life

             There are more than once I have read either on internet or in some magazines that “money you have in your bank is just a number to keep the game going…”, quoted from some rich and famous people like Bill Gates or Warrant Buffer.  It is probably true for some lucky and/or smart people.  However, for the majority of the people, money is the main purpose that they are spending most of their times everyday working on.

            Yes, it is true that the best things in life are free: fresh air after the rain; lying on the grass in a sunny afternoon; smile on kid’s faces, etc.  However, in today’s society, everyone would admit that money is very important.  You have to have certain amount of money to get by.  That “certain amount” is strongly dependent on where you live and how many people in your household.  For example, a 4-person family in America, $50,000 is a pretty good guideline for a reasonable living.  In other words, if the family has less than $50,000 annual income, it would not be very comfortable for the family to live in, say, Chicago suburbs. 

            I have always fantasized that I could make enough money to support my family for a comfortable life at an early age.  After that, I will be free: free to choose to study at any field I am truly interested in; free to change my job without worrying about the financial consequences; free to move wherever I like; free to eat whatever I want; free to…   If only I could have $5 million when I was at the age 22!

            Needless to say, I did not accomplish my dream.  Not even close.  Now I am 40 years old and my family’s total worth is much, much less than $5 million.  Even though this is not that bad compared to the National Average in United States, I felt disappointed.  I also, of course, have tons of excuses like “I only work in the industry for 7 years….”.  People always have lots of excuses for anything that did not realized in their life.  Now as I look at it, the reason that I failed is because I did not do the right thing.  I spent all my youth in schools (those are excellent schools) on a degree that will give me a comfortable life at the best.  What I should have done, perhaps, is to pursue all the possibilities to make money instead of looking a safe route through the life.  At the end, the safe way is actually not that safe.  I still have to struggle to get a decent job and worry about the future of my current job.

           It seems that there are extreme ways to plan for your life.  One is to focus making enough money as soon as possible, and after that, do the staffs you really like to do.  Benjamin Franklins, for example, did just that.  After making enough money in his business before the age of 35, he started to devote himself in politics and became a great one.  However, the common problem about this approach is that people usually stick with the life that made them rich instead of starting a new life.  Making money requires intensive energy and emotion for a long time.  Once they are in this process, they can’t get out.  The other approach is to forget about money, just do what you really want to do, change your job as frequently as needed until you find something that you are truly enjoy doing it.  Hopefully, money will follow.  If it doesn’t, it is alright because you are so happy working on the staffs and you will not care about the money.  Steven Spielberg knew he wanted to make movies when he was 16.  That is his dream in life and he successes eventually.  The problem about this route is that majority of the people will find what they like to do can not make them rich.  Sometimes, it can not even make enough money to live by!  One of the reasons is:  what you love/like to do does not necessarily mean you are good at it.  Or nobody really need what your favor products or services.  And if you are not very good at it or if the services or products are not needed, you won’t get paid well.

            Actually, very few people choose either of those two routes mentioned above.  Most of the people, just like me, choose a “safe” route that is between these two extremes.  They went to school and spend many years there, and look for a paid job (hopefully, a well paid job) after they get out of the school with some kind of degree or certificates.  While they are in school, they carefully choose their majors in limited offered fields based on the future job market and their own interests.  They work hard on their classes, their jobs and look for the ever-coming raises and promotions.  They though they accomplished something until one day, they get laid off because the owners found a cheaper replacement somewhere else.  And they have to go through the process again: get a new degree; get a job; working hard to get promoted…

            No wonder that some people call it a rat racing game.  But how can we get out of this game?  Some people say that everyone should start their own business.  But is it really that glorious to get rich by owning your small business?

            My boss’s wife’s family owns a pretty large farm outside Rockford, IL.  Farming is a tough business and very few farmers get rich.  “We have to be careful about our expense because the margins are thin”, my boss once told me.  Statistics shows that 80-90% of the small business fail within their first 3 years.  Just like anything good in life, you need to be smart, hard-working, and some lucks to be successful in your own business.

            A few thousand years ago, when men are hunters, the man who can catch the biggest animal in the short period of time is the hero and is rewarded in his tribe.  In today’s world, men and women go out to do whatever their jobs are and try their best to get the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.  The winner is the person who gains the most in money without breaking out the laws.  That is the biggest game in the world today, and almost everyone is playing it.