Good post Steve, I agree with all but the last paragraph. There are plenty on here that are happy being "just a window cleaner". You don't have to be in the 5 or 10 percent that you strive for to live a happy and fulfilling life.
I agree. But I have also met loads of people whose pensions have failed or who have never REALLY pushed themselves in their life to do anything, not just in their work life. When they get older, they have regrets and not just those of a financial nature.
But I personally don't own a house, or a pension that will be of any benefit should I hit retiring age, nor do I have rich parents whose fortune I can live off when they die. I grew up in a divorced household on a poor council estate, got into petty crime aged 10, and had little direction in life. Nor am I content to just live off benefits should something happen to me now or when I am older.
From a young age I was determined to better myself, my circumstances and hopefully along the way help those I love. I have a sickening dedication to whatever I turn my hand to in my personal or business life. So why not push as hard as I can push, read all I can read, see all I can see, help all I can help and improve all I can improve?
I am not happy just 'being'. It is not about the money. It is about my own feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.