Financial Stability: Step 3 of 3 to Finding Fulfillment in the Workplace

Financial Stability = Greater Fulfillment 

As the final thought (surely there are many others) for the mini-series on finding fulfillment at work, I have elected to discuss financial freedom. This is something I have discovered from personal experience. Our financial stability independent of our employer has the potential to turn us into the best of employees. This observation seems illogical at first, but closer inspection reveals its truth.

The worker with no financial freedom is completely dependent on their employer—almost desperately dependent. I believe the no budget, over-leveraged, financially ignorant and apathetic average American that lives paycheck to paycheck is not a good worker. (And don’t make the mistake of thinking I am only talking about blue collar workers!) Think about it. A person one paycheck away from disaster is not a good worker for one fundamental reason: they are trapped. They are, in a metaphorical and literal sense, enslaved to their employer. They have to get their paycheck or they are in trouble of the worst kind.

I think this sort of bondage leads the worker to resent their position and often times their employer. They begin to feel trapped in a job that “just doesn’t pay enough” but unable weather the possibility of looking for employment elsewhere. They hate their work because they have to do it no matter what. This leads to a resentful, half-hearted worker who finds that fear is their best motivator.

Now consider a financially independent worker. Someone who works because they want to, not because they have to. Now I know we are all years away from such a position, but this is not an all or nothing issue. A worker with a budget, reasonable emergency fund, some investments or savings does not feel “trapped” the same way as the worker outlined above. They have some flexibility. They begin to feel free. They could, if they wanted, look for another job without adjusting their lifestyle. Fear is no longer their main motivation for working. It is replaced with much more favorable motivations: enjoyment, rewards, purpose, creativity, etc.

What I have found is that when you get control of your money, you stop feeling like your job is controlling you. This frees you to work well instead of desperately.