THE FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHER

Man's (Career) Search for Meaning

"Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for." ~ Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl himself believed that meaning -- the meaning of a sacrifice -- could be found in suffering.  I'm not so sure, however, that working in a stressful career to achieve higher monetary, material and social wealth fits Frankl's idea of finding meaning in sacrifice.  Unfortunately, however, this willful sacrifice of one's mental, physical and spiritual health for that of financial health is more common today than not.

With regard to money, the basic utility of your job or career is to earn enough money to pay for food, shelter and clothing with perhaps a modest amount remaining for life's little pleasures.  It is quite normal, however, to perceive the function of your career as something quite different -- as a tool to achieve material wealth far beyond what is necessary and to overlook the opportunity to do something significant -- to achieve your innermost latent desire -- to find meaning and purpose.  This common sacrifice of self for money, material wealth and social status is where problems begin:

• Life goals become defined by monetary goals -- or at least you perceive that money is the primary enabler for fulfillment;
• You make your life fit the demands of your career, rather than the opposite;
• And if you hate what you do, you rationalize the stress as a sacrifice for providing for your family, your retirement goals and/or your desire to identify yourself as somebody.

One or all of the preceding points likely have some degree of relation to your existence; but what can you do about it?

Where most attempts fail to make lasting and meaningful change (i.e. diets and budgets) is where they begin.  Your brain likes shortcuts -- lists of things to do -- that are quick, easy and painless.  If you could take a pill to lose weight, your brain wants this.  If you could read some quick tips on how to get rich and retire young, your brain wants this. 

In summary, the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line, except in your brain (and geometry)!  What your brain wants and what is good for you are not necessarily the same.  Your brain wants the path of least resistance, although what it needs is the path to a meaningful existence, and this requires self-knowledge -- choosing to use your mind rather than defaulting and yielding to the brain's wants.

Rather than looking for shortcuts and rewards, which may be your greatest detriment as a human being, start taking small and meaningful steps toward goals, the least of which should be defined in monetary terms, if at all.  Finding meaning in one's life can not be prudently obtained by shortcuts and lists of things to do.  Put simply, this meaning is acquired by aligning who you are with what you do, which first requires self-knowledge.

With regard to our underlying theme -- finding a career that is meaningful -- I like these resources:

• Self-knowledge is everything when it comes to career choice.  I believe the Myers-Brigg Typology Indicator, which is based upon the ideas of Carl Jung, is the best personality assessment tool.  Check out the Jung Typology Test for a good start.  This online tool also points you to occupations and educational resources based upon your personality type -- an excellent first step in aligning who you are with what you do.
• I like this list of the 50 Best Jobs in America.  The selection criteria is based upon pay and growth prospects but most importantly, meaningfulness.
• There is certainly no shortage of media coverage on the broad topic of productivity.  Unfortunately, the meaning of the term has been diluted to the degree that most people pursue productivity without first defining what it is they want to produce!  Productivity is not just doing more with less and productive people are not productive because they have read and followed a list of things to do on how to be productive.  They are productive because they have acquired self-knowledge -- they have identified their values and purpose and spend a significant amount of their time there -- in this sweet spot, if you will.  If you are not productive or successful in your work, you are probably not acting from your sweet spot of values and strengths.  You can find more on this topic at a previous post, Mind vs. Brain Part II: Priorities, Pursuits & Productivity.
• You might also try my Life Planning series of posts.  Follow the links to Life Planning Part I: Are you a tool?, Life Planning Part II:The Search for Meaning and Life Planning Part III: Creating the Plan.

Of course, this is simply the opinion of your humble author but my personal experience, my research for writing and my observation of others, collectively, tells me that Viktor Frankl was right:  Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning.

 

Hell is other people

"Hell is other people." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

If you've not read this phrase before, your initial reaction might be something between an uncontrolled burst of laughter and a significant sense of curiosity.  Once the first reaction subsides, if your reaction is similar to mine, the profound truth of the phrase's message becomes inescapable as evidence of this truth begins flowing into your mind.

What makes hell other people?  If other people are hell, what is heaven? 

I also imagine you will acknowledge, however, that some of the greatest pleasures in your life have involved people outside of your self, perhaps in the form of service to those who appreciate and value what you have to offer.  It's just those other people that seem to always screw things up!

Here are some of my own observations and evidence, followed by the original source, of "hell is other people:"

• Other people are not very bright but this does not stop them from assuming responsibilities, such as driving cars, running for public office, voting, managing investments, teaching your children, or presiding over the company for which you work -- all of which obviously have great potential impact on your life!
• You work hard for your clients and maintain an altruistic and ethical standard of conduct while other people attract business (and perhaps some of your clients) with a less-than-ethical standard of conduct.
• You consider yourself a valuable employee but you are employed by other people who decide to "downsize" in the face of recession and you lose your job!
• You have a great idea (i.e. to start your own business or to improve something at your place of employment) but other people don't seem to agree with the greatness of your idea.  As a result, your idea fails, assuming it even launches, and you begin to question your own judgment, which erodes at your self-worth and reduces the chances of offering more ideas.

Given that "hell is other people," what is it that you believe "other people" in this phrase really represent?

The grip that other people have on our lives might derive from our deepest desire -- self-actualization.  Often, and to our detriment, our self-actualization is dependent upon the approval (or what we perceive to be approval) of others.  Our actions, therefore, are often a reflection of what we believe other people expect.  This also extends to our desire to control our own destiny and to find the things (money, material wealth, social status) that we perceive will provide this control -- this validation.

The original proclamation that "hell is other people" came from Jean-Paul Sartre, the 20th century French existentialist philosopher and playwright," and his play No Exit:  The three main characters in the play arrive in hell, a hotel, and discover that their fate is to spend eternity together in one small room.  The characters further discover that hell is not torture by fire and brimstone but torture by other people and the perception that there is no escape.

Why is hell other people?  Because, as Sartre has explained, "…when we think about ourselves, when we try to know ourselves, … we use the knowledge of us which other people already have."  In other words, if we are not recognized or if our individual pursuits and dreams are not validated by other people's approval, we often feel that our existence has less meaning or even that it is worthless.

Personally, I like the interpretation, and what Sartre himself has implied, that other people represent a purgatory -- a place that can be heaven or hell, depending upon one's own perceptions...   

If hell is other people, then it is because you have made it so -- it is because you have allowed other people to shape your reality.  Your self-actualization, in this hell, is completely dependent upon the approval of others.

You play a kind of game -- a game of illusion -- with other people.  You put forth an image that you think other people want to see which is often an illusion in itself: Your resume, your web site, your Facebook page, your clothes, your car, your house, your choice of words, your vacation destination and your presentations to prospective clients all present an illusion to meet the expectations and validations of other people.

As with anything, there is a healthy balance to be found. 

The balance to be found is that, to co-exist with other people, which is inescapable, you must play this game of illusion to some degree; but you must also remain aware that this game is in fact an illusion: The illusion you put forth must not be far from the truth or you will lose touch with your own reality and lose your self along the way; you must realize that others are playing this game of illusion and the perception of "winning" or "losing" must remain only in the minds of other people -- not in yours; and most importantly, do not become other people -- the people that define their existence -- their heaven or hell -- by the perceived expectations and validations of other people.

Hell, therefore, is not other people -- hell is being other people.  Heaven is being yourself...

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Related:

When is Illusion Good?

Quotes on Contentment

The Deconstruction of Social Conventions & The 'Unlearning' Process

Virtue: The Philosopher's Stone (A profound example of 'meaning before money')

"I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money..." ~ Socrates

A primary theme of this blog is that the greatest financial success does not originate in financial form -- this kind of success is but an incidental consequence of pursuing meaning in one's life.

A return to this theme of virtue preceding financial wealth comes today as a result of finishing a book last night with my two sons, ages 8 and 4.  This particular passage is the inspiration for this week's blog message:

As much money and life as one could want!  The two things most human beings would choose above all -- the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.

Before I reveal the name of the book and author, please allow me to establish a bit of general background:  This book is the first published by this particular author and the book's general theme is one of the classic good versus evil.  Of course, the good prevails, at least temporarily, at the end of the book because the evil fell victim to its own excessive greed for wealth and power.  Naturally, the very reason that the good prevailed is quite the opposite:  The virtues of contentment and altruism -- the tendencies to receive energy from helping others -- its radiant selflessness -- is how the good prevails in this book.

As you may have guessed, the book's genre is fiction/fantasy.  As you may not have guessed, the author wrote the book while surviving on welfare and went on to achieve something extremely rare in the literary world -- financial wealth beyond what most would imagine:

• The author's first book was followed by a series of related books, which turned into a wildly popular series of films.
• Overall book sales for the series to date are over 400 million copies.
• The author's cumulative wealth to date approaches $1 billion (that's billion with a 'B').
• The author is now known for being a great philanthropist, forming a foundation with an annual budget surpassing $5 million, plus generous giving to other charities.  On philanthropy, the author has been quoted as saying,  "I think you have a moral responsibility when you've been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently."
• The author never set out to be financially wealthy.  She wrote because she received great pleasure in the act of writing (Any person calling themselves "a writer" knows that money can not be a realistic motivator.  In fact, in the beginning of her career, the author's publisher wisely advised her to "keep your day job").

By now, you may have guessed that this author is J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series of books, which inspired the films of the same name.  One thing I never knew until writing this post is that the first book was originally titled, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  The title of the American release of the book (and subsequent film) removed the word Philosopher and replaced it with Sorcerer -- a change that Rowling fought but was not powerful enough at the time to prevent -- and hence became what is now Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone.

The Philosopher's Stone seems a much more apt sub-title for the story:  The stone, of course, is the enabler of unlimited wealth and life.  In the book, the physical stone is destroyed, which (temporarily) removes the threat of evil.  The implicit message at the end of the book, spoken to Harry Potter by the good wizard Dumbledore, is that virtue is not given by the possession of material things -- it is found within; and by the giving to a cause greater than one self.

The destruction of the stone, therefore in my humble opinion, is a metaphor for virtue:  The virtuous are content with or without material wealth.  The non-virtuous are unhappy without it and will destroy themselves to acquire it -- and once they acquire it, if they ever do, they often discover that material wealth does not provide what they were originally seeking. 

Adding to this message of virtue is that J.K. Rowling acquired her unimaginable wealth as an unintended consequence of pursuing meaning, given at the lowest point of her financial wealth.

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Related:

Quotes on Contentment

(Why You Need To) Get Rich Quickly!

(Why You Need to) Get 'Rich' Quickly!

"Know contentment and you will suffer no disgrace; Know when to stop and you will meet with no danger.  You can then endure."
~ Lau Tzu

With all due respect to the phrase (and outstanding blog), "get rich slowly," this financial philosophy and life pursuit has great potential for failure and even self-destruction.

How so, you ask?

The word "rich," in this context, implies and supports the misleading conventional wisdom that success in life is measured by monetary means.  Additionally, the word slowly presents an incredible impediment to even making an attempt at such a seemingly long and arduous task. 

Patience is certainly, in the opinion of your humble author, among the highest and greatest of virtues.  Simultaneously, however, it may be as close to the antithesis of achievable human behavior as one can find.  Humans, as unhealthy as this behavior may be, want to find the shortest and/or quickest path from point A to point B.  Short and quick, for the human brain, almost always wins the battle with long and slow.

Why not, then, immediately stop the struggle against human nature, remove anxiety and accomplish the goal of getting rich in the quickest fashion possible?   How can this be done?  How can this be prudent?  The answer, much like the solution to many "problems" we humans face, is quite simple:  It is a shift in perception and an alignment with personal values via the definition of terms.

"He who knows contentment is rich." ~ Lau Tzu

In essence, the phrase "get rich slowly" leads one to believe that their patience in pursuit of monetary wealth is a virtuous path.  But does this path lead to a virtuous end?  And does this end justify the means?  If, for example, one sacrifices the present for some unforeseeable future, then this delayed gratification, by default, is virtuous?  Does the pursuit of monetary goals distract from meaningful pursuits?  What is your definition of rich?  Is it possible that you are already rich?

If one defines the word rich in non-monetary terms, the seemingly herculean feat of "getting rich" may be one of the easiest (and most valuable) accomplishments of one's life.  What if "rich" is simply defined as "being content?"  Imagine how some of these definitions might make you "rich" now:

• Being in good physical, mental and spiritual health.
• If you are a parent, your children are healthy.
• Being loved and having someone to love.
• Making a difference in the life of another.
• Your life has meaning and purpose.
  

"Health is the greatest possession.  Contentment is the greatest treasure.  Confidence is the greatest friend.  Non-being is the greatest joy." ~ Lau Tzu

It is quite true that without sufficient financial health to provide the basics of life -- food, shelter and clothing -- one's non-monetary measures of health (physical, emotional & spiritual) can be eroded.  If you have enough, however, to provide these basics of livelihood, then the pursuit of financial wealth need only be a support for pursuits that truly bring meaning and purpose to your life.

There is a case for balance:  Absolute financial poverty erodes at all levels of health.  The consistent raising of the desire for greater financial wealth, beyond enough, however, may also erode at your non-financial well-being.  Contentment represents this balance and therefore is the healthiest and most virtuous definition of rich.

Sure, you can continue in your path toward financial freedom (that's another term to define) via debt reduction, spending less than you make, investing your money wisely and all of those conventional money management techniques.  But just think how much you can gain by detaching yourself from the need to define your wealth in monetary terms -- by simply learning the art of contentment?  If you are already rich in this sense, your financial pursuits become much more achievable and will provoke much less anxiety. 

Now pursue contentment:  Simply say to yourself, "I am rich;" find a non-monetary reason for this wealth and repeat this often... and you are on your way to "getting rich quickly!"

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Lau Tzu Illustration by Shannon

Related Posts & Pages:

The Diminishing Marginal Utility of Wealth

The Five-Minute Retirement Plan

The Secret to Happiness is... No Secret

Life Planning Part I: Are You a Tool?

Quotes on Contentment

The Price of Paying Attention

"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a sick society.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Have you ever stopped to think about what price you pay when you pay attention?  Are you aware of what and how much you are allowing into your mind?  If information were food, would your information diet be “healthy?”

We have evolved into a consumer society and this consumption does not stop with food and material goods – those items that we pay money to obtain – this consumption extends to information, which takes place much more frequently (at often a higher price) than that of food and material goods.

When we pay attention, there is a cost...

To find out this cost and how to avoid the poverty of attention, please read my guest post at GoodLife Zen:  How Much Does it Cost When You Pay Attention?

Procuring Freedom With a 'Razor'

What does a medieval philosopher, simplicity and a "razor" have to do with freedom?  I'm so happy that you asked!

July, for most of you in the United States, may bring to mind the thought of freedom (in addition to the summer heat) as Americans observe Independence Day.  While many of us think of those things that have made our freedom and independence possible, less of us think of those things that actually take away our freedom and independence.

Freedom means many things to many people, almost to the degree that the word's meaning is abstract.  What represents freedom to one may represent enslavement or subjection to another.  More commonly, those things most considered to be liberating and/or productive have paradoxical consequences.  Today, therefore, I would like to call to mind some things that may be inhibiting your freedom, but perhaps you may have first thought of as liberating or productive.

"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." ~ Sir William of Ockham (c.1288 - c.1348)

Why add complexity if it is not necessary?  Sir William of Ockham certainly agrees.  Who is Sir William of Ockham?  He is credited with the principle of Occam's Razor (or Ockham's Razor), which "recommends the selection of the hypothesis that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest entities while sufficiently answering the question."

With regard to the "hypothesis" of how to lead a fulfilled and meaningful life, I submit that simplicity is one of the greatest virtues in this pursuit.  For example, if you reduce your daily activities to half the current level and are able to maintain the same or greater level of meaning and fulfillment, then Occam's Razor says to do so!

Let's consider some of the means of procuring freedom, in the spirit of Occam's Razor, via the pursuit of simplicity, viewed through the lens of personal finance:

• More choices often lead to less decisions, poor decisions or no decision at all.  While some choice may be good, more choice is not necessarily better.  With regard to personal finance, social research has shown that more investment choices in a 401(k) plan has led to lower participation on the part of employees.  How many investments do you need?  If you are a mutual fund investor,  the benefits of diversification will more likely diminish than increase beyond eight or ten funds.
• Allocation of Attention:  Most of us are familiar with investment assets, such as stocks, bonds and cash; however, we tend to forget an asset that may be more important -- our attention -- which is certainly one of the only assets where we can control performance.  Much like the allocation of a portfolio of investments, you should allocate where and how your attention is spent and determine if your information sources are adding to (or reducing) simplicity in your life.  What adds value?  What adds complexity?  What takes time away from your priorities?  Do you need cable tv, video games, newspapers, magazines, cell phones, or blogs?  If so, to what degree? 
• Align who you are with what you do:  This is the essence of freedom.  Do you enjoy what you do?  How much time do you spend on activities that you simply do not care to do?  Why are still doing them?  How soon can you minimize or remove them and increase the time and energy spent on things you enjoy -- your priorities?  Essentially, an increase in time spent on activities you enjoy will reduce time available for activities you do not enjoy; thereby increasing your freedom.
• Outsourcing:  Do you enjoy researching investments and planning your finances?  If not, hire a financial adviser.  How much is your time worth?
• The definition of terms:  Define the word productive.  If anything can slice needless complexity out of your life, this may be the most simple and effective strategy to do so.  To define what productive means to you, simply make a short list of the thing(s) you wish to produce.  Is it time with family?  Is it time to write the book you've always wanted to write?  Is it money for a well-deserved vacation?  Is it money or materials for a charity?  While you're at it, define a few other terms, such as wealth, strength, weakness and happiness.
• Turn down the noise:  One thread running throughout this post may be the idea that conventional wisdom has more influence on the "average person" than is healthy.  Media sources, educational institutions, parents, and other social influences are constantly trying to tell you how to act, what to study in school, what career to pursue, where to invest your money, which car to drive and what things bring you most happiness.  Only YOU should choose these things.  Tune out (or significantly turn down) outside influences and simplify, simplify, simplify...
• Beware of 'Luxury:'  I'll simply quote Socrates here:  "Luxury is artificial poverty."
  

To end this post, I'll add one more thought from the book I'm currently reading, Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, perhaps one of the greatest teachers of simplicity that ever lived (not to reduce the value of our friend, Sir William of Ockham)!

Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.  With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meager life than the poor.  The ancient philosophers, Chinese, Hindoo, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer in outward riches, none so rich inward.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have examples of procuring freedom via simplicity?  I'd love to hear of them...

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Related Post: 

Mind vs. Brain Part II:  Priorities, Pursuits & Productivity

Suggested Reading: 

Walden, or, Life in the Woods

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

What would Thoreau think of Twitter?

I'm currently reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau.  I'm also considering the use of Twitter.  The thought of both do not seem to harmonize.  But can they?

Last night, I read the chapter called, "Solitude."  It seems as if Mr. Thoreau stepped into my mind and gave me the answer to my question, "Should I use Twitter?"

Here is the "response" from Mr. Thoreau:

Society is commonly too cheap.  We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other.  We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.  We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war.  We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other's way, and stumble over one another.  Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications. (emphasis added)

Of course the use of any tool or the consumption of any product or service is a personal choice; however, some choices are generally better than others.  Perhaps there is a case for balance?

People I know and respect use Twitter; however I remain skeptical of its value and place in my life.  Certainly, any given person's decisions are not prudently made on the basis of one particular philosophy or point of view; however, Thoreau's case for simplicity and necessity is famously solid... and it appeals to me personally...

What value have you found with Twitter?  What are its drawbacks?  Can Twitter and simplicity harmonize?  Of course, the first answer might be, "It depends," but should my mind remain open to Twitter?  Why?

What are your thoughts? 

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Quotes on Contentment

Walden , by Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau Image by Shannon

What You Can Learn From 'Old Man Socks'

"Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are." ~ Chinese Proverb

Wearing dress socks with tennis shoes and plaid shorts may be a tragedy of fashion; however, it is a victory of self...

Please read more about the values found underneath these old man socks by reading a guest post I wrote at PickTheBrain, called "Old Man Socks & the Wisdom of Becoming Nobody."

A Review of 'Your Dreams'

"Let's start with a simple question... Why do you live?" ~ Jonathan Mead

There is a good reason why I do not review many books on this blog -- because I only share things with readers (you) that I feel has great potential to impact your life in a positive and meaningful way.  Today I would like to share with you just such a book.  Actually, it's an e-book, called Reclaim Your Dreams, by Jonathan Mead, the author of one of my favorite blogs, illuminated mind.

I knew I enjoyed Jonathan's blog; however, his e-book, Reclaim Your Dreams, successfully captures and communicates his writing themes in one cohesive and digestible unit.  These themes and ideas empower the reader to pursue meaning and purpose in their lives in a deliberate way:

• Social Conventions:  Most of us are not following our own path -- we are following in the path of Social Conventions -- the path formed by societal norms, our parents, our schools and the language we adopt from others and use in our daily lives.  Common sense does not always make sense for the individual.  As Jonathan says, "We need uncommon sense.  We need to follow our hearts."
• Self-Help:  Unlike most personal development books, Reclaim Your Dreams does not provide specific steps that only defeat the purpose of the book -- to help the reader help them self.  Instead, Jonathan inspires readers to define terms, such as success, strength and weakness, for themselves, which is the beginning of finding one's unique path in life.
• Self-destruction:  Most of us are too busy to notice that our behaviors are more self-defeating than self-promoting.  Reclaim Your Dreams profoundly states the obvious truth that most of us overlook everyday when he teaches the reader to "Make the commitment to go with yourself, instead of against yourself."

For a better taste of Reclaim Your Dreams, here are a few quotes from the e-book:

It's time for a new definition of success:  The person that's most alive, not living for something yet to come; not placing their happiness on some future event.

Not sabotaging yourself does wonders for your success rate.

But is the purpose of living to simply get things done?  If you're living this way, you've lost sight of the point of being productive in the first place: To create more time for things you love.

Give yourself permission to be ridiculous.

Always do what you are afraid to do.  The more you do this, the more you'll find doors where you previously only saw walls.

To be quite honest with you, I was particularly struck by how similar Jonathan's thinking is to my own.  I do not say this for egotistical reasons but to express to you that, as a reader of The Financial Philosopher, you are almost by default an ideal candidate for reading Reclaim Your Dreams.  I also highly recommend reading Jonathan's blog, illuminated mind, which is quite aptly named, and will further aid in reclaiming your dreams...

Finding Meaning in Tough Times

While I finish the series of posts on Life Planning, please take a look at a new and related post I wrote for one of my favorite blogs, GoodLife ZEN.  In the post, titled How to Find Meaning in Tough Times, I discuss the importance of attaching meaning to suffering and some points on how to do it, which extends nicely on my recent life planning and existentialist themes.

I look forward to returning next week with a new post here at TFP!  Cheers...