I remember when I was going to school as a youngster and taking part in a class exercise that was supposed to help determine what kind of career path I was headed on. At the front of the class, the teacher wrote a question on the board that said, "What would you do if you were a millionaire?" Your answer had to be an occupation or a passion that showed what you truly wanted to do.
I was reminded of this assignment when I was reading the sports section of my newspaper the other day and came across an article about a young professional basketball player named TJ Ford. At 24 years old, Ford has already suffered two career-threatening injuries to his back and neck and has been forced to contemplate retirement to avoid further, perhaps severe, injury.
Prior to this, Ford signed himself a lucrative five-year contract with the NBA's Toronto Raptors, with $30 million in guaranteed salary. Not a bad retirement package by any means.
Knowing that he could walk away from his job and enjoy a long life of luxury, Ford decided to work as hard as he could to come back and play for his team. It wasn't the money that motivated him; it was his love of the game. He loves his job so much he would put his health at serious risk to do it. Now, after over two months of recovery, Ford is back on the court, likely doing what he would have answered in my teacher's assignment.
We can all learn a valuable lesson from Ford, and that is to do what we love. After all, what is the point of being rich if it's making you miserable in the process?
Sure, having money is nice, but it isn't what life is all about. Life is about living and doing what makes you feel good day in and day out. If you're in a job you hate, develop a plan to leave. Start saving your money so that, when the time comes, you can quit your job and start the business you've always wanted. Even if times are tough financially in the beginning, you'll hardly notice because of the happiness you derive from your new life.
As for my answer to the assignment, it was to "build places for people to live." Well, it came partly true. Although I never physically constructed homes, I developed my own publicly traded real estate company!
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