I would agree with this. People have a way of heavily discounting the present in favor of the uncertain future. It becomes a habit, almost an addiction, to medicate feelings in the present (FUD - perhaps their anxiety over being a parent, even). A friend of mine uses the term "future tripping" - I like it.
I will give this guy a lot of credit for honesty. It's tempting to pretend that starting a company is something you are doing solely to provide a better life for others, when the truth is it is just as often, if not more so, for the self-actualization need of the founder.
From the wife/kid's perspective - they want you to be happy, but they also want you to be present and engaged. From that perspective, what you do to make the money isn't so important as the fact that you can provide, and be part of the fun.
"believing that this is the great sacrifice I must make, the choice I took upon myself for the betterment of the family, for you, but I know that’s not entirely true A little or a lot, it’s for me This addiction or obsession I seem to have with work"
"I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."
I don't know if the OP is still contracting but if he is, something like Brennan Dunn's "Double Your Freelancing Rate" could help with working less on more interesting / higher paid projects - http://doubleyourfreelancingrate.com
Wow. I just read the first link "In Praise of Idleness" and I have to say it completely turned my thoughts on work around. I had no idea how fundamentally the work culture has influenced me.
From the wife/kid's perspective - they want you to be happy, but they also want you to be present and engaged.
From my own experiences - obviously your mileage may vary - but your family (and especially your wife if you have young kids!) needs you to be present and engaged.
Yes, as others have said, PG has said that you could compress your working life into a few years but what if you're holding a losing lotto ticket at the end of the day? Because you are gambling with your time.
We all make compromises and sacrifices with our lives - and we all have to live with those choices. Whether these are "right" or "wrong" is really for the individual to decide.
I will give this guy a lot of credit for honesty. It's tempting to pretend that starting a company is something you are doing solely to provide a better life for others, when the truth is it is just as often, if not more so, for the self-actualization need of the founder.
From the wife/kid's perspective - they want you to be happy, but they also want you to be present and engaged. From that perspective, what you do to make the money isn't so important as the fact that you can provide, and be part of the fun.
"believing that this is the great sacrifice I must make, the choice I took upon myself for the betterment of the family, for you, but I know that’s not entirely true A little or a lot, it’s for me This addiction or obsession I seem to have with work"