We are constantly fed “hacks” and “get rich quick” schemes and “pro tips” that will make us bajillions of dollars with zero effort and continue this passive income making us millionaires over night. Where will that get us though?

Don’t get me wrong – if I had a million dollars overnight with no effort, I’d be super excited. But a windfall like that doesn’t generate lasting satisfaction because it didn’t require any effort. Satisfaction comes from dopamine and dopamine comes from work.

We tell ourselves we would love a life of luxury. We would spoil ourselves and maybe even those we love, and we would just “be” wealthy and that would be our lives. I think that would be fantastic for about a year at the most.

After the newness wore off, there would be a lot of “what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?” that came with it. If I were wealthy enough to not have to work, what would I do? I love the idea of the Financial Independence/Retire Early crowd, but the reality is I’m not sure I’d do things much different than I do now. I’d play with my garden, I’d travel here and there, I’d visit my family, I’d try to help here and there to make a net positive out of my life.

The cushier our lives, the less satisfaction comes from them. We don’t feel accomplished from sloth, we feel it from the positive outcome of a hard effort. A study about athletic performance in high level athletes showed a consistently improved performance in athletes that were reminded of death shortly before their performance. The reminder of death gave them an added push to demonstrate their vigor in life.

Life is short. A satisfying life is one where you put in work. Whether it is for pay or not, investing of yourself will lead to increased satisfaction in your circumstance. Your brain perceives success when it perceives effort. Put in work – in whatever way you define that – and you will experience more success and satisfaction than a cushy life will ever give you.

Find your purpose and endeavor toward that.