I get that you can't do what you love and expect to make money. But this feels like it's gone too far. It seems like true greatness and satisfaction requires just a little bit of intent above just making easy money. I guess if easy money is your only goal this would be satisfying.
"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize."
We have this rule because when people don't do this, it leads to shallower, more predictable discussion. It does take a bit of conscious readjustment to run one's posts through at least one pass of this process, but if you do you'll soon notice how much better they become, and/or possibly also fewer. Either way, signal/noise goes up.
Why does everything need to be "True greatness and satisfaction?" Why can't it simply about just paying the bills?
While not everyone gets to work on what they love, you can also take the mindset of finding something that you can love to work on.
I think your setting yourself up for some disappointment with that one.
That’s how I think OP is interpreting it, not as money is a panacea for a fulling life. But money enables you pursue many things that a person with little money can.
Money doesn’t help you make the best life choices but it expands the spectrum of possible life choices.
That quantity is large enough that getting there changes you. Choose wisely.
However, having extra money makes so many things less stressful. When I was younger and poorer, car trouble was a huge stress. Did I have enough money to fix it? What was I going to cut out? Would I wreck the car, costing me more money, if I keep driving it?
Now, I just take the car to the shop and don't even think about it. Hungry and see a good restaurant? Just go. Get in a minor accident, or get a parking ticket? No big deal, doesn't ruin the day.
I mean, money certainly is still a factor in decisions, but there are a LOT of decisions that cost a small enough amount of money that you don't worry about it. Everyone has a level where, if things are cheaper than that, they don't worry about it; as you get more money, more and more things fall into that category.
Moderate wealth certainly means more freedom than little to no wealth.
Edit: I just recalled a quora question a while back when somebody asked about the drawbacks of being a billionaire compared to a millionaire. One perspective was that while a millionaire could go for a Sunday drive in a nice car with the spouse and kids at the drop of a hat, a billionaire may have to schedule their transportation around security parameters and travel with bodyguards because their wealth can make them a target. So in some ways, too much money can make life less free.
I'm referring to a lifetime of what I've seen, perhaps your life experience is different.
Freedom from financial worry and working for people you would avoid except for money is the sort of freedom most people don't have.
And while you might argue I don't know enough people with "money", I can assure you that isn't true. Its unfortunate some people with serious financial resources have an unhealthy relationship with money/life but that is far from everyone.