One of my friends recently posted in their blog about being rich and how he had paid lip service to being happy as long as long as his family was healthy and close by. Now he no longer merely just says that, but has established it as a true belief for himself. I have to say that I can't agree more!
My career choice was based on a decision I made very early in life. I got my first computer when I was 8 or 9 years old (1980 or so). It was cool and I enjoyed it. After a year or so I got my first modem. The very first time I connected to a friends computer via the modem and we passed characters back and forth I knew at that instant what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to make computers talk to each other. Taking it much further than the simple chatting back and forth, a "network" of computers intrigued me to no end. I pursed that as a career, not because I thought I'd get rich at it, but because it was the coolest thing to me I could think of. I never expected to be well off from the career choice, I didn't so much care about that.
My mom was recently telling me a story from not that long ago really. About 9 years ago I was thinking about applying at Perot Systems. They had told me if I ever wanted to leave the hospital I was the Network Manager at that I had a job with them. Those were the words they said, but to my ever cynical self I figured they were just being nice to the North Carolina kid and I had no chance of going to work for them. My mom remembers me talking to her about it and how doubtful I was and how much she had to convince me to send them my resume that I really could do whatever I wanted if I just worked for it. I was so shocked when they offered me a job over the phone one night, the hiring manager had never even met me before, he was just going on the word of 3 or 4 of the engineers that had worked with me at various times. Looking back on it now, I remember how amazing it was to me. Even then I didn't realize that I could be as successful in my career as I have been.
Now, finally back to the topic of being rich. I grew up extremely poor. At the end of each month my mom and I would end up eating pinto beans and corn bread and other very inexpensive food. The folks who sold us fuel oil for the furnace were NEVER paid when they delivered the oil. In general my mom would barely get them paid off for last years oil before they were filling up again in the winter. A couple times it wouldn't even be paid off yet. After my father and sisters passed away my mom decided it was more important to continue raising me full time. That meant sacrifices. Social Security checks do not go very far for a widow and her son... but I've never regretted the fact that we were poor looking back. My childhood and my close relationship with my mother is something I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING in the world... well, maybe having my father and sisters back... but there is nothing else.
So, the point I'm trying to make there is that I grew up poor. Very poor and I don't care one bit. It makes me appreciate anything I do have so much more I can't describe it. It also makes me realize I can go back to that in a heart beat and I wouldn't mind at all. If I should lose my mental capacities and not be able to function at the level I do today or in some other way suddenly find myself making much less money; I'd chalk it up to just being life and move on, while enjoying eating pinto beans and corn bread and moving on with life.
For now though, I work my tail off and I am rewarded in two ways for it: the joy I gain from doing my job and financial compensation from my employer. If I'm no longer financially rewarded for it. Oh well. :) I have to agree with Ike there are more important things in life. However, right behind those things is financial success for me... but only if I achieve the financial success on my terms and have fun doing so.