― Oscar Wilde

I agree with Mr. Wilde.

To me, this quote signifies more than just showing up with too much education or clothing. It reminds me to always go above and beyond what others expect of me, and far beyond what I expect of myself. It reminds me to always put my best foot forward and to always over-deliver.

It reminds me that you can never overdo life.

***

Life is short, fickle and will end before you have time to live it for all its worth. This is the reality for most people.

This reminds me of a paradox that envelopes the motivated individual—like myself. You see, I work hard because I want to live the fullest life I can. But the paradox of this is I end up having to spend a lot of life slaving away to build the wealth and success necessary to enjoy the fullest life has to offer in the future. (Although, “slaving” may not be the best word as I’ve freaking love what I do.)

This concept is lost on many ambitious people that end up reaching their goals only to find themselves stuck trying to answer the question, “Why am I not happy?”

The thing is, for me, it’s not just about enjoying life in the future. It’s also security and freedom that drives me. Security for my friends and family is my main concern, and like it or not, money and success provides that.

Wealth provides a longer and safer life. It grants one the power to combat external forces that will threaten my well-being and the well-being of my family and friends. This is my primary drive for becoming “successful.”

My second reason for pursuing success is time. If I am tied to a “job” because I have to support my family, I am not free in how I spend my time. My time is set by someone else.

And I can’t live with that.

They say that autonomy is more important to one’s happiness than money. I totally agree.

I’d rather live a financially “comfortable” life that is full of time and freedom over a billionaire’s life that is “too busy.”

In the immortal words of Biggie Smalls, “Mo Money, Mo Problems.”

Amen.

Life is a balance of many factors. And to borrow the words of Mr. Wilde again, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Your Life

Think about your life. What are you after? What is your why? What are your goals?

Blindly chasing money, fame and success is a losing proposition—even if you manage to get there.

However, if figure out your why and operate from an understanding of that why, it’s a completely different scenario.

You can never overdo life, but you can definitely overdo certain parts of life if they are not aligned with who you are and what fulfills you. The key is figuring out what you should be overdoing so you don’t waste time overdoing the wrong things.

Overdoing the right things is an oxymoron—there’s no such thing. Overdoing the wrong things is pure waste.

Find out what you should and shouldn’t be overdoing. Then go out and overdo as much possible.