Why do seemingly Made People still work their Ass off?

...a Tribute to Kay on his birthday

I had just woken up to more than 30 notifications on Notion, on what would have otherwise been a beautiful Sunday morning. I opened one of the notifications, hoping to find a random check-in comment about pending tasks or deliverables. What I saw instead gave me the signal that Kay is at it again.

He had gone ahead to flesh out concepts that would have taken an average person months to conceptualize, and some more weeks to draft. But Kay is not your regular guy. So how come some of the outputs from him still surprise me? Simply put, I work hard. People around me know, my wife attests to this, and my receding hairline further confirms this, so when I see someone with a different level of consistent work rate, I pause to ask questions.

That Sunday morning, I once again asked myself the rhetorical question, What is chasing this guy? Having achieved so much at a young age, why can’t you take a chill pill and relax?

So today, I imagine myself in his world and consider what could be driving him while trying to answer the questions at the same time.

Could it be passion? Ferdinand Foch once said The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. Perhaps, there is a crazy passion that is driving him. After all, seemingly wealthy entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Richard Branson are known for their relentless drive. Despite amassing enormous wealth, they continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. Musk’s ventures, from SpaceX to Tesla, are testaments to his passion for revolutionizing transportation and energy.

Perhaps he has a genuine passion for sitting behind his desk all day and night, looking for the next big thing or idea, while also ensuring that what is already working continues to function optimally.

Or could it be fear of Lack? I quickly moved on from this idea. After all, there is a famous tale of MKO Abiola, one of the wealthiest Nigerians at one point, asking his pastors not to pray against devourers on his wealth because there is enough for the devourer. The point is that there is a certain level of wealth a person attains at which the fear of lack stops being a problem.

Some Crazy Financial Goals or level of wealth? Maybe this is it. Perhaps he is pursuing financial goals that only he can envision. But I will be quick to scrap this if I were to answer this question based on my own philosophy of wealth. I personally believe it is unfair to both the recipient and those who are currently living in the moment to leave an insane level of wealth for the next generation. As a matter of fact, I believe a solid education, exposure and a modest trust fund should be enough for your children. Because why not? This gives them a sense of ownership over their own lives and independence.

Or there may be a looming countdown signalling that there is not enough time to create a lasting impact. I blame Yoruba Nollywood movies for this, but we are making assumptions, right? So I am tempted to use this occasion of his birthday to pray for a long life for him and his. But let’s assume I am no pastor, the average life expectancy of a person in his part of the world is 84.2 years for women and 81 years for men. So it's safe to cheer to long life. Jeun lo.

Or maybe Kay is just a psycho, not the unassuming serial killers we see in movies, but maybe he is psycho, and his victims? Productive tasks and endeavours. But I am not Kay, so on this occasion of his birthday, I join others in asking, ‘What is chasing you?’

Happy birthday to a solid guy!