It doesn’t take a sleuth to detect the theme of the month. Candy hearts, red foiled greeting cards, and shimmering boxes of chocolates have replaced stores’ holiday season clearance sections with haste. Valentine’s Day is approaching, and the month of love is upon us.
Table of Content
Love may not seem like the topic of choice for a financial literacy brand – until you consider the many quotes that bridge the two.
“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
“Love of money is the root of all evil.”
“Do what you love and the money will follow.”
Whether abundant or lacking, the concept of love is frequently linked to both professional endeavors and money matters.
Loving Your Work
To some, the concept of “love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life” may sound silly. After all, we can’t all be professional athletes, social media influencers, or professional gamers. But finding a way of making a living that satisfies isn’t just about play or prestige. Sometimes, it’s not the title that brings joy, but the little things that give a job meaning. Perhaps it’s turning your love for coffee into a gig as a barista, your eye for art into a seasonal job as a museum staffer, or channeling your passion for helping people into a position as a public housing advocate. Finding a job that you love is more realistic than it sounds – if you look behind the big fancy careers and obvious titles.
Our episode, “Hidden Careers,” does just that. It searches popular industries like film, aerospace, and food for the lesser-known careers that provide a realistic foot in the door. “Doing what you love” might be easier than you think.
Loving Your Money
Money is a powerful tool. It can put a roof over your head, provide transportation to a job, turn an idea into a prototype, and put food on the table. But money – or the reckless pursuit of it – can also harm. Disputes over money have ended professional partnerships, split marriages, and silenced lines of communication between siblings, parents and kids, and lifelong friends.
The old adage – that the “love of money is the root of all evil” – is often misquoted as simply, “money is the root of all evil.” There’s a big difference. Money isn’t inherently evil at all but making money one’s sole pursuit in life is a quick way to lose friends, distance family, and find yourself wading deep into moral compromise. (Our episode, “Scam-o-Rama” features multiple examples of scams that no-doubt stemmed from a scammer’s love for money above all else.)
This February, let’s put money in its place. Respect the power it has, while limiting the control it has over your life. Love what you do not the money behind it, and the money just might follow.