Thought 18MAR2009

BETTER THAN MONEY?
Don't get me wrong - money is just fine. But sometimes, when I think about the many functions of my weekly pay, I get the urge to eliminate the middleman. There are many things I'd prefer to money, though they shift around. Last year I would have gladly taken my salary in a new car. It would have saved me the anxiety of negotiating with car dealers. Many days, I'd rather have an office assistant than a raise - someone to stop calls, to hunt down a fact, to carve out that commodity more valuable than money : time. Indeed, an informal survey of workers in our cafeteria found that more time is the only thing everyone would trade more money for. Far outranking titles or perks, more vacation is what people want. A close second is autonomy, the coin of the realm for anyone with a creative bent. The freedom to travel, to hire and fire, to slice through bureaucracies, to make decisions - these are the things most of us want from our pay. Others had more mischievous ideas. One fantasized about being paid by having the boss fix her dinner. Another wanted to watch his rival get passed over for a promotion. For this fellow, it is not enough for him to succeed - others must fail. He'd pay money for it.
A salary isn't the only measure of job satisfaction. Happily there's more life than just mounting wealth. But it's a puzzle to work out how our income can mean more than money. What should we value? I have a tip : go for love. Love - of your work, of your colleagues, of your family and friends - passes the ultimate test. It will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no love.
Renee Loth - in Boston Globe Magazine - Extracted from 'Reader's Digest' January 2000 issue.
He who doesn't look ahead remains behind - Mexican Proverb