Recently I had a realization that is possibly the most influential idea I’ve ever had. And that is that the true reward of all of our passion and creativity and hard work is friendship. If you work for years aiming at money you’ll be disappointed when you get it. And if you work for years to attain accolades or fame of some kind you’ll be tremendously dissatisfied. You spend too much of your time on the journey toward your goals for it to just be about what you receive when it’s all over. The true reward is happening all along the way, and that is the friendships we forge as we strive together. And until you realize that and enjoy the process you’ll be incredibly frustrated, especially if you actually succeed.

The weird thing about friendship is it doesn’t exist on its own. It needs those other interests and passions to ignite and fuel it. But at the same time, ask just about anyone and they’ll tell you that their friendships are far more important than the things that brought them together.

This goes for everyone you work with, those you work along side of and those you work for. I mean, are you a good friend to your clients? Because the reward there isn’t money either, it’s the friendships you’re building. The money is just a great way of appreciating you for how well you serve them. Aim for the money and you’ll have a few pay days, aim for the people and you’ll have long-term friends who love appreciating you with their dollars.

Don’t get me wrong, your work is important. Just don’t be tricked into thinking it’s what you really want, because money and fame aren’t good enough for your hard work and creativity, but your friends are.