Follow The Money

[CanDB]

I have long been a student of the catchphrase, "follow the money". It came up again recently, in a discussion I was having with a mate.

It seems many are money crazy, probably even to the point that they would sacrifice family and friendship if it meant a nice payload. Then again, I have faith in most people, who have higher values, and are not prone to forget what is truly important in their lives, rather than cash itself.

But for those new to the phrase, or the concept, it is sometimes helpful when examining situations in the workplace, or in vast array of fields. Take sports alone, and you might never have another moment to spend on anything else!

For sure, when doing case studies, money is so often the reason for why certain actions took place, often unusual ones at that. It's the old, "why did he do that? Makes no sense!" But in the end, it did make sense....money sense.

To be fair, the majority of us want to be relatively wealthy. You know, enough to keep us out of debt, and able to purchase things we like, and never having to worry about making ends meet. Wealthy does not have to translate to filthy rich. It can simply mean, comfortable. The definition lies within each of us.

The worst thing about following money as some do, is that they can lose credibility in life. They sacrifice what truly matters.....because that sometimes evil force attracts them so powerfully that they lose sight of what is of value on this earth, like friendship, integrity, honesty, love.

Make no mistake, there is a very significant difference between following the money for money sake, and fulfilling your destiny, having a noble work ethic, and being innovative and industrious. Pursuit of success is normally a very good thing. Being your best, adding value and growth, and looking for better ways, are the basis for a healthy, democratic entity. Yes, growth is usually good, profit makes business sense, and being fairly compensated is key to the process.

But I do wonder about selling one's soul to get your hands on the cash.

Again, the premise of this message is not to lecture, but to support others when investigating or sorting out solutions to cases that cause a person to wonder. It is especially useful when doing case studies....and yes, those that have real life implications. It can invariably be a shortcut....by getting on the monetary trail.

[Rastic]

There is a lot of truth and wisdom to this. I am a believer that money itself is a neutral item, neither good nor bad; it's what the love and pursuit or thoughtful planning and use can lead people to.

A good example of the power it can yield over people not used to having more beyond their general lives are the stories of lottery winners whose lives changed but not for the better.

Unfortunately, you are right, too many people are willing to sacrifice what is most important for monetary gain. I wonder how many of those are left with neither.

[samparnell]

Money is used to buy goods and services. People who have enough for their needs are fortunate.

Sometimes certain individuals seek to accumulate as much wealth as they can. Those who succeed in that effort often use it to buy power. It seems that nothing good comes from greed and lust for power.

Those are opposite approaches to the topic of money.

[Lumiere]

Steve Jobs had a nice quote about work - "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

“Following the money,” exclusively (forsaking all else), can certainly provide material wealth…but happiness??? Every once in a while in life, we’re presented an lucrative opportunity. Sometimes we see it…other times we don’t. Acting on a lucrative opportunity is a great way to achieve financial success, but I think it’s paramount to never forget “living life” nor its hidden meaning. Achieving financial success should always be a goal (in my humble opinion), just not at the expense of all other goals in life.

[Sophia23]

I kinda despise money, just for seeing the way it does effect people. I'm not someone who has a lot of it, but am comfortable for the most part. When we really want something we save for it, or work overtime. But I'm too lazy to chase a money trail, or put myself out there looking for higher paying careers.

I hate greed. I hate how families become divided over money, because in the death of a member one kid got more than the next. I hate how other relatives swoop in and try and take everything. Money sucks in my opinion. I hate when people take advantage of those who have money, because they see the opening. I hate how people think they are entitled to money, but don't want to work for it. I hate how quickly get rich quick schemes can bring down an entire economy, and knock hard working people off their feet causing them to lose everything and start over. The ones who typically started the bubble, are the ones who profit off it in the end. Not worth what it does in so many cases.

There is more to life than money. Do what you can to be comfortable without taking from another to get there, and you can be happy and content in my opinion.

[CanDB]

People who like to tell others about how much money they make, or how much they own, or boast about special events they are going to see, are not interesting to me. They show their cards when they talk the way thy do. No, I'd rather spend time with "interesting", modest folks.

[Lumiere]

People who like to tell others about how much money they make, or how much they own, or boast about special events they are going to see, are not interesting to me. They show their cards when they talk the way thy do. No, I'd rather spend time with "interesting", modest folks.

Hey, just give me my loved ones, a coffee, a thunderstorm, and a mountain to look at.