Lately almost everyone I meet, steers the conversation towards money.

Lots of them present me with their plans on how I could be making far more money than I am already making.

When I tell them I ENJOY the way I am making money right now, they do not seem to register what am saying.

What matters is this: if I CAN make money, then I have no excuse, I have to do it.

A Chilean friend of mine here in Slovakia is different. He’s not particularly fond of this country and says: ‘If you live like that then you are money’s bitch.’

I thought about that and he’s right. Slovaks are money’s bitch.

They are obsessed with making just a little bit more money. They have two shitty jobs if they are not skilled. And the skilled ones try to move abroad. Especially if they don’t have kids yet.

When they hear how many languages I speak they instantly draw up a list of other things I could be doing. Things that could potentially – they never bother to ask how much money I am making right now – get me more money.

These options are legal, BUT always entirely isolated from:

  • Morality
  • Enjoyment
  • Fulfillment
  • If humanity really needs this
  • My actual current skill set. It’s not because I am a polyglot that I would make a good supply chain manager. To tell you the truth: I most probably would be the lousiest supply chain manager ever, unless I had a deep moral conviction that by being a supply chain manager I would be making the world a better place. But most positions for supply chain managers don’t seem to be in areas that are vital for the human soul.
  • My personality
  • My love for being entirely my own boss
  • In short, they are really offering me to become money’s slave.
  • Money IS very important to me. But because I like games, because I’m a total autist. I see lots of things as a game, with a goal I define, and I’m competing against myself. Like I want to be fluent in at least ten languages, because that’s a game I am playing.
  • I do want to make a lot of money, but according to the rules I have in this particular game I play against myself, one of many games I play against myself.
      • I have to keep making at least twice as much money as a guy I went to college with.
      It cannot conflict with my morals. You won’t see me making money by making porn movies with Slovak women, although I would excel at organising that if I wanted to and could make a ton of money. I will never do anything like that.
      I have to be my own boss
      I will only do business with people I like
      I will only offer something that I feel is missing in the world
      I have to have fun doing it
      I will not take shit from anyone
      I still want to watch four to six hours of documentaries every day

    You may think these are impossible criteria to fulfill, but right now every single criterium is fulfilled.

    I do want to make even more money, but that’s because am curious to see where the limit is. I’m playing my own version of world of warcraft.

    Plus, at some point I want to buy my own theatre, I want to substantially support some causes I care deeply about, I want my children to have the best possible education and at some point I want to have a center where people can, for lack of a better world, come to discover their ikigai.

    If I have one piece of advice to give to Slovaks about money, I have to turn to Richard Branson: the money comes when you are having fun.

    I swear this is true.

    Am also convinced that most Slovaks are not making money in a way they enjoy as much as their favorite hobby.

    Unfortunately too many people still think that you can’t get paid for having fun.

    Ow dear, if you think that you have it entirely backward.

    Give the world what you think is missing in it and you will do alright.

    In the picture you see a modern slave cabin.