Are you jealous of famous, rich people? Do you look at their lives and their lifestyles, and wish it could be you? Do you want to be the Senior Partner of a huge law firm, with hundreds of employees? Do you hunger for the money of BigLaw? Not so fast, grasshopper. Take a look at the sacrifices they make for money and fame. They lose their privacy, they are targets of every crazy out there, and they often suffer tragedy. The greater the number of employees, the greater the likelihood that you will spend unpleasant hours of your life dealing with their issues, both personal and professional. I was struck by this quote today from The Daily Stoic:
” Do you really want to be a billionaire who is constantly on guard against being kidnapped (or your children being kidnapped)? Do you want to be a celebrity who has to deal with photographers following you everywhere you go? Do you want to be the athlete who has so spend countless, mind-numbing hours in the pool every single day, who cannot let up after countless gold medals and millions of dollars? In truth, no you wouldn’t. We are lucky to be as free as we are. To be normal, “regular” people. We must cherish our rights to our opinions and our privacies and our safe spaces to screw up and be human. And if we can, stop chasing the “good fortune” that will take all that away.”