We’re not Gwyneth Paltrow. We’re not going to «consciously uncouple» from our paychecks.

One of the key factors that keeps most people showing up to work is money. Maybe they care about what they do. Maybe they have a passion for it. Maybe, just maybe, they would show up if there was no money on the line. But unfortunately, it costs money to live, and you have to spend your life doing something, so you’re probably going to work for money. This is the basic function of having a job. You show up, give them your time, effort, and ideas, and in exchange, they give you money with which to live your life. If this fundamental mechanism falls apart, then where are we left? This fundamental part of job-hood falls apart more than you think it would, though. We all have different relationships to money, and sometimes that means that you underestimate how much it means to others.