I'm not like every other human; I don't care about being cool, having friends, status, or society in general. I don't care what you do, who you are, or why you do something, as none of that is my business.

Much to the chagrin of my parents, I have never cared about money; it's not something that motivates me in life. I have zero desire to possess the best of everything, nor do I care to be rich. Just thinking about it makes me roll my eyes endlessly!

My parents always stressed the importance of money, often ad nauseum, when I was growing up. They both made decent enough money from their respective careers, but with a family of seven, that money would come in and go right back out, at least until my much older siblings flew the nest.

As with most things in life, I figured out fairly early on who I was and who I wanted to be; maybe it was a result of being ostracized by my peers, or perhaps I just understood the way the world worked and knew I wanted to blaze my own path instead.

Just like anyone else, I have bills, groceries to buy, and rent to pay. The difference between everyone else and myself is that I don't allow money to change me or dictate who I am. I have always worked because I wanted to, not because I had to, and so all my supervisors benefited from a genuine work output.

It seems to me like so many people get caught up in the lives of the famous and rich; they want what they have and are willing to get it by any means necessary, even stealing it. Money drives people to do uncharacteristic things and even sell their very souls for a few bucks. That was never going to be how I ended up. I was adamant about that early on; I just did not care about all that noise.

I left the work force officially in 2008, and I do not miss it in the least. I prefer the ability to work how I choose to work and have no intention of ever going back. I also pride myself on the fact that I have never received a single handout from the government. As long as I have all my limbs and they are functioning, I will earn my own keep, doing it my way on my terms.