I’ve found that most people who work hard have motivations that drive their work ethic. I don’t know many people who decide to work hard “for the heck of it.” I like to believe that I’ve worked pretty hard the first half of my 20s and I plan on continuing to work hard the second half.
The thing about working hard is that you don’t have to do it. It’s an active choice. I don’t have to take the extra effort to learn and develop my skills in my full-time career as a finance professional, nor do I need to spend countless hours before and after work (and on the weekends) working on my side hustles.
I could just as easily coast at my full-time job, save and invest wisely, and have fun outside of work. There is nothing wrong with that. But there are things that motivate me to work hard to become a valuable asset for the company I work for as well as sacrifice hours upon hours building side income streams.
I’ll go into more detail, but ultimately it comes down to dreams and visions I have for my future. Allow me to explain a few things that keep me going each day:
Debt
The most obvious motivating factor for me right now is debt. We have a lot going out the door in student loans each month. I actually started this blog with the goal of making enough income to offset our student loan payments. My next goal is to have our mortgage covered by online income as well.
I’m not saying that debt is good, nor should you rush out and buy a new car to motivate you to work a side hustle, but in my case the desire to eliminate debt has motivated me to sacrifice countless hours towards building my side hustles. The beauty of it is that now that I am bringing in an income I am excited about continuing to build it and utilize it for purposes other than debt.
Home & Home Renovation
While I don’t have kids now, long-term I want to have a nice home for them. Having a home that is big enough for everyone to have their own space isn’t cheap, at least not in the Twin Cities where I live and – for the time being – plan on living long-term. The better financial foundation I can lay before I have kids the easier it will be when they come along.
In the short-term, I have a house that I have a big vision for. We currently have a basement studio set up (more on that here if you’re interested) which is great as we receive income from it each month and wouldn’t use the space anyway. Eventually, though, I want to do a full renovation of our house. In my ideal world I could do all of the following:
- Move the stairs to create an open kitchen/dining room/living room
- Convert the three upstairs bedrooms into two bedrooms, both with walk-in closets
- Upgrade/Renovate the first floor bathroom
- Hardwood flooring throughout the entire first floor
- New windows/doors throughout the house
- Create a larger bathroom in the basement and completely renovate
- Create a bedroom downstairs where our current section of the basement is
- Open up the studio to the rest of the basement and create an entertaining space
This, of course, will cost a large sum of money to make a reality. I’m not ignorant of the costs involved in renovations or the issues that can arise (I’ve watched more than my fair share of HGTV). Thinking about my vision for a remodel motivates me to put in that extra effort to increase my income to potentially make this renovation dream a reality.
Travel and Choice in Work
I talk about working from home often, and it’s no mistake. My current job could technically be done entirely from home, as can many office jobs where you simply go to work and sit on a computer. While corporate culture at most companies haven’t fully embraced work from home, including my current employer, I love the idea of being able to work from anywhere I have an internet connection.
While working a corporate job remotely is a good starting point, in my ideal world I would run location-independent businesses that would allow me to make money from anywhere in the world. There are a few ways I’m pursuing this, including this website, Young Adult Money. My second niche website will be coming out in 2014 and I’m excited to diversify my online income.
In the foreseeable future I will be focusing on niche websites, but I also could see myself down the road pursuing spreadsheet/database consulting. It’s work I enjoy doing, it’s needed at pretty much every company, and I can pick and choose what projects I take on.
Ultimately, though, all these efforts are for one goal: to be able to travel where I want, when I want. This could mean living in different places short-term or just being able to travel to some place warm for a week during the frigid Minnesota winters. I know it will take a lot of hard – and smart – work to ever get to that place.
What motivates you to work hard? What long-term goals do you have that you know will take an extra effort to make a reality?
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Second photo by perhapstoopink
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Great post! We work hard for similar reasons- we would really like to have the ability to work from anywhere in the world. We would really like to be employed for ourselves rather than other people so that we can focus our attention on what we feel is important. And lastly, we work hard because we have big dreams of starting a family some day and we want to make sure that our children will be well provided for! Great reminders in this post.
colormefrugal Sounds like we have VERY similar goals! I definitely would like to work for myself and ideally have employees/contract workers instead of me being the employee.
I agree. I choose to work as hard as I do and find myself envious of those who have more free time than me. However, I don’t allow that envy to get the better of me. I am working as hard as I am so I can be in a better place (and perhaps be a better person from a skill set standpoint) than they will be in the future. I will hopefully be free.
MitchellPauly I definitely am envious of those who have more free time than me, but many of those people do not have the same goals as me. Or they do and have already “made it” in which case I get even more motivated ;)
It’s great you have a long-term vision. Many of my friends and cowrokers seem to be just living in the “now” and don’t think about whats next. I think you are way ahead of most people in the early, mid-twenties. My long term goals are to generate side income and become less dependent on the day job.
BudgetforMore Those are some great goals and essentially the same as mine. I think I would actually do an even better job at work if I was more relaxed and not so dependent on it for income.
My biggest motivating factors are being able to do something I love every day and time with my family. Increasing both of those will make life much more enjoyable, and the best way to get there is to starting working for it early.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money Doing something you love each day is something that everyone should shoot for. Having options, mainly via money/income, can make that a more likely possibility.
What’s my motivation? I don’t want to be poor and I enjoy the work that I do in the company I work at. I can definitely see a career somewhere in the field that I’m working in, but it’s just that I don’t want to be in the same position all my life.
Also, what other choice do people have? I think you’ll get to an age where you’ll start REALLY thinking about where you’re going in life. I’ve already gone through this stage and know that if I want to start a family or make something of myself, then I do indeed need to start working bloody well hard to get there.
JonnyJones I’m going through that “quarter-life crisis” stage right now and it’s really been helpful to think about what things I want to pursue in life and where I want to go. I’m starting to realize the earlier you start the more likely you are to succeed in reaching those goals.
My biggest motivation for working hard is so that we can be financially independent in a shorter amount of time, and to eventually be a full-time freelancer so I can work remotely from anywhere.
CSMillennial Similar goals as me! I would love to be able to pack up and live in another place for a month, as I continue to work and make money. It’s hard to imagine that sort of lifestyle right now, but if you don’t work hard at it you will never get there.
Nice post DC! Mine are very similar, or have been in the past. Right now we’re really focusing on saving/investing as much as we can and deciding if we want major upgrades or start saving for a bigger house. I think having those goals really does make the working hard so worth it in the long run, otherwise it’d be so easy just to give up.
FrugalRules I both envy and don’t envy you! I think if I had the money in the bank and I could realistically do my dream remodel, I’d have second thoughts because I’d keep going back to “well what if we just did as little as possible and find a new home?” It’s a legit argument and I hope I’m in a position to make that decision within the next 10 years : )
Providing for my family, and simply opening the door to allow us to get as most out of life as we can is what motivates me. Oh, and the fact that I LOVE my job makes it pretty darned easy to get out of bed in the morning. I’m not in my 20’s anymore…..but I’m still motivated. :)
DebtChronicles Good to hear! I hope that I’m still motivated in my 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond! I see far too many in the 30-60 age range who simply are not motivated to do anything different or make a change to achieve a goal of theirs.
These are all things that I’m working on, too. I want to be able to travel, pay down our mortgage and do what I want while I’m young.
Suburban Finance Looks like we are on the same page ;)
I think these are all great things to motivate you. I share al lot of the same wants as well. It gives me inspiration to keep going and saving for the future.
DebtandtheGirl If you aren’t motivated, it’s hard to truly pursue some of those long-term goals.
I think I’m just a naturally motivated person. I always have been. I like to learn and slacking off really bothers me. It happens every now and again but it’s uncommon. Since I’ve had kids I think I’ve been extra motivated to work hard so that I can provide them a good life.
SingleMomIncome I think kids is a HUGE motivator for every parent, and I personally am motivated by kids because I’m scared to death of the responsibility (both financial and non-financial) that comes with them. You definitely seem motivated, at least based on what I’ve read on your blog the past few months!
I don’t think I could be a slacker if I tried, but paying off our house and being able to travel are two big motivations to continue to bring in income. That would be really cool to have online income cover your mortgage. You could sock away your salary and quit your day job pretty early that way!
Eyesonthedollar If our student loans & mortgage were covered by online income it would be SO much easier to save and invest money! I agree though, it would be hard for me to be a slacker as well. I can’t help but feel a need to make productive use of my time.
Definitely motivated to work hard to provide a good life for my family. Of course hard work has to be balanced with quality time with family though. I think it would be great for either my wife or I to be able to work from home or stay home with the kids…having the extra income will allow that to happen. It would be pretty cool to have the online income cover student loans and mortgage too.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply I definitely agree. Being able to stay at home, even if you are a “work at home” parent can make a big impact on time spent with kids and overall quality of life. It all has to be done with balance, which I admit I’m not great at.
I think if I work hard, I’m doing something wrong! But then I only do what I like (even my day job)! But the motivating factor is freedom. Money buys freedom.
moneycone I have to agree with you on that one. Money = options = freedom.
I think we share some of those. Debt, travel and work freedom are my major ones. However even having some good space for the family is very important. A comfortable home where you relax with your family after working hard.
BorrowedCents I think that’s why I’m so motivated by our house right now. I see huge potential for an amazing home…but that comes with a HUGE price tag. Yes there are smaller things I can (and will) do in the meantime, but I have my eye on the prize, namely that big renovation project.
All 3 things you mentioned are great motivators. I like the idea of location independent businesses.
Practical Cents I LOVE the idea of a location-independent business. There are so many possibilities.
I applaud you for having your motivations so clearly thought through and defined. I think it can be pretty easy to lose focus on longer term motivations during the daily hustle and bustle of things (and that’s when you need motivation the most since that’s when the work has to get done). I struggle with this myself often – not keeping my “eyes on the prize” and then losing momentum.
PFUtopia It’s sometimes hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s so important to stay motivated on a day-to-day basis.
I love how you’ve taken the time to figure out what you want from life and put together a plan to make it a reality. So few people really take the time to do this. They dream a bit and wonder “what if” but too few set actual specific goals and plans. I have no doubt with your attitude and willingness to work hard that you will achieve all you set out to accomplish, DC.
ShannonRyan Thanks for the kind words, Shannon! It means a lot to me. I think it initially started in high school when some of my friends obsessed about cars that cost $100k+. Instead of thinking about things I can’t afford, I would rather think about HOW I can afford them. I’m shocked that I’m pretty much the only person I know who is more interested in what a person did to afford a beautiful house than the house itself.
Honestly, I don’t think I work as hard as I can but my boss would say otherwise (I tend to be hard on myself). But I work hard because I want to create a good nest egg (retirement), pay off my student loans, and live comfortably. I’d like to eventually own a home but right now would just like to not live at home. LOL. I think I need to focus on a side hustle that I can actually stick to. I started a blog but rarely write on it though I could potentially make it better.
Paulette Mensah I have medical problems as well and I find it difficult to schedule doctor’s appointments when I have to drive to and from work each day; it’s much easier those days I can work from home (which are few and far between). I encourage you to look into a side hustle and really try to make it work.
We have the same goal. I would like to not be tied down by a desk (or a home). Right now, I am working to get to the point where we can just try it.
fitisthenewpoor I would love to get to the point where I can try working from home full-time, but I don’t think I’m anywhere close to that. One day, though!
Growing up with no money working hard for me is a no brainer. You’re far ahead of all your peers David in know what you want. When I was your age I only cared about Vegas and living it up with friends.
Charles@gettingarichlife Hey, I would LOVE to go to Vegas and live it up! But you’re right, it’s not the only thing on my mind right now.
Ahem, I also watch more than my fair share of HGTV, much to my spouse’s chagrin. Paying your student loans with online income is impressive! I need to get to a spot where I have time to get more things that should be truly passive off the ground.
Ugifter I won’t know until the end of the year if I’m really covering my student loans with my online income, but I should have a better picture when I reconcile my finances for 2013. I would LOVE to have my online income cover my student loans and mortgage payments. It would help me save for my HGTV-fueled renovations ;)
I am with you on the student loans. I would absolutely love to have extra income to pay them off quickly, which is why I am toying around with the idea of monetizing my site. After that, my ultimate goal is to be financially independent so that I have a choice in what I do and when I do it. Freedom in my late 30s would be amazing and is a definite motivator.
JourneytoSaving If, by my late 30s, I could have multiple online income streams, no student loan or car debt, and a nice house that doesn’t need renovating (and renovations paid for) I would be soooo happy!
When I was in my 20’s the thing that motivated me to work the hardest was simply my age. I was young and fit and had a TON of energy so putting in ridiculously long days was a common occurrence. Glad I did as I have reaped the rewards of my hard work in my 30’s. I worked hard when I was young, got ahead in my career, and now I don’t have to work as hard and I have more time for family, kids, and other pursuits.
RatherBeShopping That’s a great testimony and inspiring for people like me who sometimes second-guess whether the hard work will pay off.
I was mostly motivated by the online calculators saying how much $100 saved would be worth in 45 years. Any $100 was a step toward freedom.
RFIndependence Oh, that’s a great motivator for sure!
My main motivation right now is my motivation to succeed. I don’t want my business to fail and all of this to be a big mistake. I don’t think that will happen though :)
SenseofCents I like your confidence, and you should be confident! You have been doing a great job and I can’t imagine how much drive I would have to make my business work if I quit my full-time job to run it.
I think my motivation for working hard right now comes from a desire to be able to relax a little bit in a few years when we have kids. I’m pretty sure I’d want to be able to stay home with them, so working hard now, saving and building side hustles and different income streams is part of what keeps me motivated. I also like helping others (particularly friends and family) so I find a good deal of motivation in being able to help them out when I can.
StudentDebtSurvivor Those are good motivators for sure. I hope that when we have kids I already have a foundation built where I have money coming in from my side hustles, but I also realize that there is never a “perfect” time for kids (in my ideal world I’d have millions in the bank before having kids haha).
Freedom to chose in general- choice of work and travel are probably the top two but it extends far beyond that- freedom to chose where I’m going to eat tonight or what gifts I want to buy for my family.
brokeandbeau Great point. Having the freedom to be able to eat at a restaurant even if it’s $20 more expensive than another restaurant would be great.
I think there is a great reward in working hard that doesn’t have to be always tangible. It just feels good to work hard, develop your gifts and excel at what you do. But in all honestly, money is a huge motivator for me.
ubersteward Money is a motivator for me in the sense that it gives you options and in turn, freedom. I definitely would say money motivates me to work harder.
The biggest motivator right now is my 8 month old Little Warrior.
My goal is to generate the opportunity to spend more time with him and less time with my coworkers. ;)
Focused, on-going online work will hopefully, make this a reality sooner than later.
The Warrior
NetWorthWarrior.com
NetWorthWarrior Like I said in an earlier comment, kids can be extremely motivating. I don’t even have any kids yet but the thought of having them one day makes me want to put in the extra effort.
I was one of those people who coasted through my 20’s at my cushy full time job. I guess it worked enough for me back then. Now I’m working harder to work at something Iove instead of something I “tolerate.” Also for a nice retirement, and I would love to be location independent as well. Almost there on that one!
Beachbudget It sounds like you are doing quite well on the location-independent income and you will be there before you know it!
I have been working so hard, and sometimes I feel like it’s been for naught. I know I can’t think like that and that it will pay off. It’s just slow. I also would like to be location independent one day, and pay off my debt sooner rather than later!
deardebt I think any sort of side hustle, or any work in general, starts very slow. I didn’t make a dime blogging the first six months but was working very hard. I actually didn’t make anything material for probably a year.
like you, debt is my number one factor. I am limited in what I can do, time wise, but I still work at what I can do to make some extra cash.
Tara Zee Yeah debt is a big one. When you have debt it’s harder to save, invest, etc. and build wealth that will give you freedom.
My husband works his butt off at a stressful job to support the both of us while I work from home trying to create something that can eventually support us both. My goal is for one day to be able to be home so that he can pursue HIS passions while I bring in the majority of the income. We have a lot of debt and the first step is getting rid of that. We live on very little (if you don’t count debt payments) so it doesn’t take much for us to live. Freedom. That’s what we want!
Being able to work for myself is a huge motivation for me! Working to increase someone else’s bottom line just isn’t what I want to do forever.