It's not about money, it's about power. And I mean 'power' in the full sense of the word: the autonomy, money and status/connections to do what you want - whether that's changing the world, giving your family a good life (relative to their peers), or dating a supermodel.
Money is just a proxy.
Power is also just a proxy to happiness [0]. The power to make yourself happy.
Concrete actions combine to give us access to abstract values which we position towards our purpose of reaching our favourite abstract concept "happiness."
We often seek happiness as an end. But good advice might be to "Invest in lines, not dots."
[0] We assume that if we can change things quickly we will be able to keep up with our hedonic treadmills. (The reality is that this won't work without control over our minds, since our desires can also upgrade quickly.)
And as a proxy to happiness, the buying power of the dollar varies from one person to the next.
I agree with the author's advice, accepting that it was directed towards entrepreneurs. However, it's also perfectly fine to not desire more money than you already have.
Money is just a proxy.
Power is also just a proxy to happiness [0]. The power to make yourself happy.
Concrete actions combine to give us access to abstract values which we position towards our purpose of reaching our favourite abstract concept "happiness."
We often seek happiness as an end. But good advice might be to "Invest in lines, not dots."
[0] We assume that if we can change things quickly we will be able to keep up with our hedonic treadmills. (The reality is that this won't work without control over our minds, since our desires can also upgrade quickly.)