Strike it rich, that is what we all want isn't it?
We celebrate and envy people that get rich with apparently little work, even if they actually did a lot of work to get there behind the scenes. Even so, the image of easy money is so attractive that nearly everyone wants a piece.
It has become a goal, to be wealthy without work. Well, that is the idea. A lot of people that have come to Steemit have brought with them this concept in the hope that it is the answer to their prayers. A few random posts and voilá, rich.
The young seem especially attached to this idea that wealth is easy to come by, after all, they spend their lives seeing it. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube are filled with people doing very little for a lot. At face value anyway.
The problem is, even if someone works very, very hard to do the same thing, they are out of luck, it has already been done numerous times before. How many wealthy fashion bloggers, travel bloggers, fitness gurus, can the world maintain?
Regardless of skill, how many celebrities can be maintained at all? How many wealthy actors are there and how many actors? I have no answer but I would assume that past B-list, there are many, many more struggling and working multiple jobs. There are many celebrity chefs, but every restaurant has several non-celebrity chefs.
Each success story attracts more attempts and the lower the skill bar to enter, the more attractive it is for the unskilled. And herein lays the real issue.
More and more people are making a play for the dream of workless wealth at the cost of their skill set. This means that there are an increasing number of people with decreasing skills across a variety of areas.
What jobs are available for the failed unskilled? What jobs are available in the future for the unskilled when those jobs are automated?
Many of the people that are looking for workless wealth are likely also those that value material items greatly. What happens when they fail to strike it big because unfortunately for them, there are 3 million people better and more popular at their chosen 'profession'? What happens when life expectations are not only unmet, but crushed with no fall back position?
'Live the dream' philosophy has replaced the 'work for the dream' mentality. Previously, if one wanted something, they understood that they would have to work for it. Today, people think about how they can get it, working for it rarely enters into the scenario.
We live in a world of upwardly spiralling personal debt and downwardly spiralling global financial situations. The material desires are winning. Rather than be disappointed at not becoming wealthy enough to buy all of those things, we are increasingly trying to live the lifestyle on credit.
Cars, houses, holidays, furniture, jewellery, phones, jeans, shoes, drinks, food, candy... on credit.
I always find it interesting that those that seem to sell the idea of workless wealth are also the ones that are benefitting from the growing debt cycle. It is almost like they created a demand for their products, but, no, banks wouldn't actually want that. They are the ones trying to get us out of debt, aren't they?
The worry I have about encouraging people, especially children, to follow their dreams is that their dreams are often to do very little. It doesn't require skills to do very little, that is why sitting on the couch playing an Xbox is so easy to do. Which is lucky, because that is all that many people are going to be skilled enough to do in the future.
People dream of grand designs, having grand things, doing grand things but most do not take the first steps into gaining the skills necessary to do them. They do not research and investigate what are the hurdles, risks, market depth and range or competition. They go in blind and when they meet disappointment, they do not look at their own work or lack thereof.
Workless wealth is likely a fallacy except for the few that get in very early or get lucky along the way. There are others that get wealthy doing lot of work too and some are lucky to just survive on doing what they do. Most however, never make any significant inroads into it at all.
It isn't that I think we shouldn't chase dreams, quite the opposite, we should do all we can to do the things we enjoy. But, if we want a financial return out of it, we better have as much understanding about what we are getting into as possible. That is part of the skill set.
We better also understand that if there are many trying to do the same thing, one has to be highly skilled in it or marketing oneself to be successful.
The thing with obtaining skills, once they are possessed, there are generally no regrets. Plus, one pursuit tends to require several skills and these compound in many unexpected ways and bring much varied opportunity and potential.
Who knows, maybe you are already living a life of workless wealth and you will look at this as nonsense. Good luck to you. But if you are dreaming of doing the same, someone is already doing it so you better do it better at the very least.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
There are many things in here that deserve more attention. I will get to them hopefully in a bit of detail sometime.
Workless Wealth, ah yes, every person's secret dream in this age of Profiteering.
I worked for some forty years, enjoyed the good life at times, but also got sucked into credit issues at times.
"It isn't that I think we shouldn't chase dreams, quite the opposite, we should do all we can to do the things we enjoy. But, if we want a financial return out of it, we better have as much understanding about what we are getting into as possible. That is part of the skill set."
As you say above, I used my talents before retirement, creating a nice little workless online business. 12 months later in sept/oct 2008 my business got hit with the financial meltdown that spread across the US and then Europe.
After a second failed attempt, I decided there was a message there for me....
and that is what and why I am here now.
Great post, I will take some time and look back over the rest....
Avoiding work is so attractive these days that many never learn the life meaning that comes from working (and failing). People want the good life without fighting the good fight first. Even if they get it, do they value it?
I am glad that there are people like you here. Life experience adds value and there are likely many lessons you have learned that others would be wise to listen to.
Welcome back any time and thank you very much for commenting well.
Well said my friend. When I was younger (18 or so) I was one of them that dreamt of workless wealth. Fast forward 10 years and I think I've gotten out of that mental trap. I'm almost debt free now and all I want is happiness. That's vague I know. But I've come to realize what matters (to me) is my relationships with family, friends and of course my animals. I now work 60 hours a week on a farm and I go home happier than ever before. I won't be getting rich quick with no effort this way but once my debts are gone (soon) I'll have what I need to live a quiet peaceful life in good company while putting any extra income aside for retirement. The future is bright.
You are living a quality dream already.
Personally, I have always worked very hard with the problem it was at the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Materiality was the goal when young, now I am building better.
I wish you all the luck you can handle and the strength just in case it doesn't arrive :)
Thanks! Its amazing how much one grows in 10 years.
Very potent and relevent article, extremely enjoyable and informative, thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. Hope your day is lovely!!:-)
Thank you for taking the time to drop by. My day has been lovely, thanks.
Visit anytime and enjoy the rest of your day too.
Did you take that picture?? It's beautiful
I did. Thanks.
A free man has to work hard to stay free ........... ;-)
Thanks for reading, you can follow me here for more articles: @nakedchef89
Thank you for the insightful and provocative article. You might also be interested in my thoughts on the topic of keeping wealth once you have attained it. Here is the link