Friday 8 February 2013

A lot of or enough?

Recently, I had a discussion with an acquaintance of mine who is currently finishing his PhD before returning to his home country of Tanzania. I asked him about his plans when he returns. He said that he wants to get a job and earn a lot of money. He explained that he would need a lot of money to help his local community and generally make sure that his family, friends and surroundings are okay and he can support them when needed. 

I found this admirable (still do). Then we started a discussion about a lot of money and enough money. I argued that whenever you strive for a lot, there is no limit to it and you could end up focusing all your energy on the money earning and not on what you intended to use it for. If, however, you concentrate on earning enough money to achieve your goal, your efforts could be a lot more focused and you won't risk losing track of your underlying reasons. His argument was that money can act as a door opener and the more money you have the more opportunities you have and the more empowered you are.

Ultimately, both statements could relate to the exact same amount of money - who's to say? A lot of money could be just about enough money to achieve your goal. It's the focus of the effort that changes. You can focus on the money, or on your goal. Personally, I would like to focus my efforts and energy on earning enough money to support my lifestyle, my future goals and stash away enough as a reserve in case of emergencies, allowing me to live my life as I see fit.

As to my acquaintance, I know that money is very important to him and ultimately being wealthy and financially secure might be the way for him to go. I also believe that he is commited and disciplined enough to never lose sight of his real aim: Improving the life of the people around him.