"What you do is more important than how much you make, and how you feel about it is more important than what you do"

The sequence of values presented by Jerry Gillies invites reflection on the priorities that shape a fulfilling life. First, he asserts the primacy of one’s actions over the pursuit of wealth. While money is often viewed as a universal metric for success, Gillies suggests that the actual nature of our work, its purpose, its ethical foundation, the way it contributes to our growth or benefits others, holds more enduring significance. This perspective challenges the cultural fixation on accumulating wealth, prompting people to ask what kinds of goals and labor truly align with their sense of self and how they wish to impact the world.

Pushing the point further, Gillies identifies an even deeper layer: the subjective emotional relationship to one’s actions. How we feel about the work we do, the satisfaction or meaning we derive from it, supersedes even the actions themselves. This is a profound shift; it places the internal experience above external metrics. Someone can engage in prestigious or objectively valuable work, but if this role brings them frustration, anxiety, or a sense of hollowness, the outward trappings of achievement offer little in the way of genuine fulfillment. Conversely, meaningful engagement, even in modest or uncelebrated endeavors, can lead to a far richer sense of happiness and wholeness.

Ultimately, Gillies’ perspective underscores a hierarchy in which self-understanding and emotional resonance take precedence. It is not enough to simply do; nor is it enough to do and profit. The essential question becomes: does what I am doing stir a sense of satisfaction, purpose, or joy within me? Here, fulfillment is measured less by external validation and more by inward contentment, posing a subtle but transformative challenge to conventional notions of success. Gillies encourages an ongoing self-examination, urging us to align our choices, our actions, and, crucially, our emotional responses, with our own definition of a meaningful life.