What is money?

Money, of course, is why most people are involved in business.  At its basest level, it is anything that represents the value of a person's actions.  In the case of the USA, that means green slips of paper.  Canada, it was multi-colored slips of paper.  In Yap, they use giant stones.  Seashells, silver, food.  What makes thedollar, yen, and euro special is that they don't have any purpose beyond representing a person's value to society - and money allows people to exchange it.

Power

To some, money represents power.  It has long been known that the people who have the most money tend to have everything they want - even things that are not for sale.  It can get people to do things they wouldn't normally do.  The phrase "Everybody has a price" refers to the cost required to get people to do something they wouldn't normally by paying them enormous sums of money.  And with enormous wealth, often comes the ability to break the law and receive a reduced punishment, even for such heinous crimes as murder.  

Living

While money does sometimes bring out the worst in people, it is a strong means to the end of living in our society.  The capitalist system works under the assumption that every action should receive a reward based on the demand for that.  Companies pay people for their services in the form of employment.  Employees pay companies for food from a store.  Each person, in theory, receives money from the market that is comparable to what the market will pay for their services.  So you need to use and be familiar with money to live.  Caves in the woods are no longer prevalent in North America.  

Side-item

Then there is the concept that you should do what you love.  If you find something that the market will reward, and that you love to do, you will do your job for pure enjoyment, and the money will be just a side benefit.  This represents the ideal strategy because it reduces the severity of the word "work" to the fun of the world "play."  

Tool of Oppression?

The problem with money is that it tends to accumulate over time.  And that means that people who have made a lot of money, and are prudent, can continue making more and more money, passing it on to their descendants.  And where there is no money, it is difficult for people to achieve.  Which is one reason why the black minority in this country isn't making drastic financial steps, even 40+ years after what some consider the "end" of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.  

I like money.  From what I've learned, I believe that it enabled the world to grow beyond a few small city-states through trade.  We just have to make sure that it isn't also our downfall.  

Challenges

Challenges in Business

There are many different definitions of challenges, and it is amazing how many apply to business.  In my mind, it is the single most important word you can have in your vocabulary when dealing with business.  First, it is:


A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking

Welcome to a job that offers a challenge!  The zest of a tough fight, well fought!  It is exhilarating and energizing.  It reminds you of your own strength and the power of your will.  And the definition above is certainly descriptive of today's business arena.  With improved efficiency, large corporations, and cost-cutting, you may be challenged every day to keep yourself employed and the company on the track to success.  For some, it is more... It's: 

A call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition

Business challenges you to succeed.  It beckons you with the promise of the fun you can have testing your skills.  That test of skills can be decided, with a winner and a loser.  And best of all, it doesn't have to be decided by you!  The market will act as the referee and you can really bare you teeth.  And you'll need everyone behind you, so challenge is also: 

To summon to action, effort, or use; stimulate

Challenge your people to do their best work, and you will likely get it.  People revel in the knowledge that they can do something great, and are united in the cause to do something great.  Make sure they don't let the stimulus slip.  Keep pushing, and your company will grow big and strong.  You'll be a challenger!

One who competes against the holder of a title or championship

Personal motivation, leadership, management advice, goal - Challenge is a huge part of business.  Remember that as you lament the difficulty of your job.  And also as you seek to improve it.  

Happiness vs. Doing what you love

Motivation!  Wow, there are some crazy theories out there.  And the theories vary almost as much as they possibly can.  On the one hand, you have B.F. Skinner, who believed that people were motivated solely by external means.  In his world, everything people did was a response to a stimulus and people were just machines.

But before that, and after that, too, was the idea that people were motivated by more than just external factors. The article here basically pointed out this possibility by discussing an interesting experiment involving children and their desire to draw.  They told some of the children that if they drew during their free time, they would get a reward.  Those kids were less likely to draw later because they couldn't decide whether their motivation for drawing was internal (I want to draw) or external (I want to draw to get a reward). 

That phenomenon is exactly what I was afraid of years ago when I considered starting a career in juggling performance.  I didn't want to lose my own enjoyment of juggling by creating a situation where juggling was just a job.  I instead chose to keep my work life separate from the hobbies I loved.  I have to be careful that, when I look for my next job, I don't accidentally ruin something I like (innovation and design?) in the pursuit of a job that I would enjoy.