Do what you love, and rest will follow
December 4th, 2006 (2:45pm) Om Malik 8 CommentsTweet This
Tim Peters’ channels Warren Buffet, the oracle from Omaha and one of the richest men on the planet, and my personal hero, in hammering home the real reason, why we might all be web workers:
You can try to convince people that you’re something that you’re not, or you can actually be the thing you want. It’s that simple. A number of smart folks back it up, including Fred Wilson (both here and here), the fabulous Anne 2.0, and Matt McCall. The common thread in each of these, for me, is that all really define success against internal measures, not how much money flows to the bottom line. Sure, the money often follows, but it’s not the first consideration in any of these cases.
I can add a personal story to this. My grandfather, long departed, used to say, Son don’t bank money, bank people. If you do that, you are going to be much better off. He was so right. When leaving my job at Business 2.0 I was so scared of leaving the security of a paycheck. But then in the back of my mind were his words. The support of those people I banked has made loving what I love to do even more fun.
Okay, enough of this touchy-feely stuff.
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“Don’t bank money, bank people”.
A wise man your grandfather was.
Yes he was – simple lesson that has helped me all my life.
Good, quick, refreshing post on something to keep us all on the same plane. Thanks.
Ryan
At the risk of continuing the touchy-feely, your grandfather’s view really provides words to live by, Om. Thanks for the added insight.
I like what you write there probably the best 2.0 QUOTE so far ” Don’t bank money, bank people “.
But before you can bank people, you must first bank love . I mean love of what you do.
I will too keep that in mind. People Banking.
Could somebody elucidate on how to distinguish between people who are passionate about what they are doing and what they are doing for a paycheck?
Excellent post. Measuring success by how much money flows in has been a problem in my parts. It has stiffled creativity, bred greed, and stiffled real development. Thanks for sharing your grand-dad’s wisdom too. Very sound words.