If you work for a company for at least 8 hours a day, you’re in a good position.

If you, however, spend almost all your waking hours working for them, it’s time to step back and reassess your dedication.

You should never forget that it’s just a job. It’s not your (only) life.

It’s the company’s life. It’s the employer’s life.

It’s the money.

Sure, you can spend all your waking hours to get that promotion or be recognized or earn more (whatever your goal is). That’s up to you.

But if you want to be successful on your own terms, don’t spend all your time building someone else’s empire. Don’t spend all your time making someone rich.

And not just time, also your energy. Because again, it’s just a job. You do it for money. They love you because you can help grow their business. And when you’re contributing no more, you have no purpose. You’re out.

No hard feelings.

I know someone who works at least 13 hours a day to set up a marketing plan for a housing firm. Hard working. Diligent. Determined. He’s the guy any company would want to hire.

But one day, the tide changed. Someone took over his role. And he was out. Only then did he realize how much time he had wasted doing something not for his own fulfillment, for his dreams, for his own growth as a human being.

What have we missed here?

We missed to strike a balance between building our dreams and building others’ dreams. We forgot that success isn’t about recognition from the company, or the money we earn, or the material possessions rewarded by our employers.

We missed the bigger picture. We missed to understand the point of our sacrifices.

We missed to stay true to ourselves.

Because every time we’re motivated by prestige or money — especially, HUGE money — for some reason, we eventually become slaves down the line. We tend to forget our values, our passions, and our dreams to change the world. It’s the money and the credits and the results that take over our heads.

And we think it’s normal.

We think it’s the right thing because we need money to pay the bills, to travel and have fun, and to buy everything we want to stay cool or maybe impress our friends.

There’s a huge difference between making money while still doing the things we love and making money without having the time for our passions.

Let me give you an example: I work every day for 7 to 8 hours. Sometimes I work more due to rush deadlines. But that’s it. The rest of my time is spent on the things that matter to me, including things I’ve been creating — music and this blog. These things don’t generate money, and that’s the point. That means I’m doing something meaningful, something I feel connected with.

My point is to create a boundary between doing something for your own (business, product, art) and doing something for others’ dreams.

Set aside time for your meaningful creations, for your dreams, for cultivating inner peace, and for something that gives you purpose and meaning.

Not just for money. Not just for the company you work for. Not just for other people’s agenda.

I don’t mean it in a selfish way when I say “for your own,”  because I believe we should also spend time helping people or doing something for the planet. What I’m trying to say is that we can’t truly be happy if we spend all our time working for others’ dreams.

Don’t have time? Minimize Facebook. Minimize watching TV. Minimize Internet. Minimize gossips. Minimize time spent with negative people.

See? Now you have extra time.

So ask yourself what do you really want to achieve as a human being? What do you want people to remember about you when you’re gone? What’s your purpose?

Then live with it every day (not when you have the money, not when you have a stable income, not when you have the material possessions).

When you stop chasing money and start doing things that can help the world become a better place, good things will start to happen. And you’ll be surprised by the impact you’ve made.

Oh, one more thing… You are valuable. 😉 

Don’t forget that.