I spent the last couple of weeks asking people, “What is money?” And most people will tell me, “money is a tool.”

For most of us, money is used to get things we want. If I want to hire an employee, I need money. If I want to take a vacation with my family, I need money. You get the idea.

There’s an old story about the CEO of Black & Decker telling his salesforce that, “Nobody wants drills; they want holes. They only buy a drill because they need a hole.”

The tool is not a destination; it’s a vehicle to get us to our destination.

But is that how we act around money?

Do you know want anyone who has 30 drills? Are there 20 different shovels in your garage?

Of course not! It would be ridiculous to have more tools than I can use. Having too many hammers is a problem that is easily solved by giving away some hammers.

If I have one shovel, I don’t spend all day thinking about how I can get three more!

I’m never anxious about my drills. I don’t dream about, “What would I do if I had more drills.” I know how many drills are enough.

So if tools are not the thing we want, they are a way to get what we want. What is money for? If money is the drill, what is the hole? What is it that money gets me?

Changing my focus from pursuing money to pursuing whatever that is, opens many new ways to get there.