Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy.
-Naval Ravikant
Since the start of my entrepreneurial journey, there has never been a moment when I wanted money for any reason other than freedom.
I never wanted money for material items such as houses and cars. I simply knew that every $100 I earned equaled another day I could spend riding my scooter instead of going to a job I didn't love. When I was 23, I got a roommate to move in, and with the extra help paying the rent, I was able to take two days off work each week. Once the rent was paid and there was food on the table, I couldn't see a reason to go to work on a day when I didn't "need" to. What good was that extra money if I didn't have time to do what I loved, like riding my scooter?
I remember calculating how much money I would earn in my lifetime, based on my hourly wage and the number of hours I had available each week. The answer, and the fact that such a calculation was even possible, made me sick. My life reduced to a mere sum of hours and dollars was underwhelming. I didn't have a clear plan, but I knew I didn't just want money like everyone else seemed to. I wanted time, control, and the ability to spend my life doing what I love (while still being able to pay my rent). I craved freedom.
Wealth is how long you can survive if your income stopped tomorrow. Looking back now, it's obvious I was beginning the pursuit of wealth.
I was still seeking money, but I was seeking only enough to survive and trading any excess for freedom.
As for status, I wasn't the slightest bit interested.
Navalism is best read in the following order:
Seek Wealth, Ignore Status Games, Don't Sell Time, Give At Scale, Long Term Games, Internet Advantage, Compound Interest .. to be continued.