The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

going, in order to get there. It seems obvious, but so many
people chase after a dream without any idea of what they’re
really trying to achieve. But Sam was different.
“Five million,” he said without hesitation.
That’s how much money he needed to make to send his
son to a special needs school and build a house that wasn’t
made of mud. Without trying to seem too conspicuous, I
pulled out my phone and opened the calculator app, doing a
quick currency conversion. It equaled $2,000.
“I think you will meet your goal, Sam.” I said, smiling.
His family had to walk two miles every day to get clean
drinking water. They didn’t have electricity or any modern
conveniences. They cooked all their meals over a fire and
lived off of less than a few dollars a day. Yet all around his
home were plants like sorghum and mango trees, life-giving
fruits and vegetables and grains that ensured his family
would not go hungry.
Sam was doing more than subsisting. He was working
hard to not only make ends meet but to improve his life and
create a future for his children. When we said goodbye to
the man with the infectious smile, I realized how wealthy he
was.
Poverty and wealth are concepts that cannot be defined
merely by what you have or make. Is the lawyer who makes
$450,000 a year and spends half a million rich? Are his
habits sustainable? What about the mom I met a couple of
years ago in the slums of Guatemala, who sweeps her house
clean every morning before going to work in the market so