This community is all about doing good, and when it comes down to it, money is often at the center of things (here, as a consumer force for change, elsewhere as that which makes the world go round). I think many people trace their perspective on making money back to their family and upbringing. However, it's not always cut and dry - some people focus on making money because their family had none, while others inherit an appreciation of the finer things in life from wealthy parents. Then there are people like me, whose parents were fairly middle class but managed to build lives in some of California's most beautiful towns while blessing me with plenty of opportunities, alongside a healthy dose of limits (my mom just laughed when I brought home the pamphlet for the amazing snowboarding adventure in New Zealand that some of my uber wealthy classmates at my private girl's school did, but I have seen many countries around the world in a far more real, albeit cheaper, manner!). There were crunch times in our family, we shopped sales and my father (who was born in 1929) never failed to remind any of us that he started working as a young boy (after years of hearing about his various jobs he can still surprise me with a new one from time to time, "did I ever tell you about when I used to reset the bowling pins at the local alley?"), and was proud of what he'd provided for his family given the fact that his own father abandoned him and his mother. In recent years, the effects of an early retirement and a successful career that through a variety of twists and turns left him and my mom to face retirement completely on their own savings (with no retirement plan) have started to show, and they now live off social security and prudent savings (both having had success in their careers and business) month to month, knowing that if they plan things just right, they'll be ok for the remainder of their lives.
In a recent blog post on my personal blog, I tried to convey the reality of being both a 'have' and a 'have-not' in my temporary home of Kenya. This inspired some correspondence from my dad, who feels bad that he can't help me buy a safer car here (so expensive for what you get!), nor share more than what he does with some of the schools I took him to when he visited last year and the various other causes close to his heart (my mom and I had to insist on throwing him an 80th birthday party after he said we should donate the money instead - some things simply have to be celebrated!). For the first time he acknowledged that while he never felt like making tons of money was necessary in his career, it's hard for him now not to have more to give away and invest in the causes he cares about. That resonated with me, as I've thus far chosen a path that has ensured I can support myself and the lifestyle I enjoy (good times with friends, family and budget travel) but which is foremost guided by the idea that a career should be about doing good, not about making money. Hearing my dad say that, knowing that so much of my interest in giving back is in response to how blessed I've been and the example that my parents (and other family members) set for me - I'm starting to think that perhaps focusing a bit more on financial gains would better position me in my overall quest for doing good...or does the world already have enough Warren Buffets?
What do you think?
