> living in a market economy requires nontrivial amount of work just to maintain what you have
This is not external, but natural.
Humans need a constant supply of food/energy, food spoils etc. Tell me what kind of economy works otherwise.
I'm also talking more about life goals e.g. getting a better job, as opposed to working at all.
> competition forces you to "aim higher" because not doing so will make your profit fall with time.
This is dependant on a lot of things. There are plenty businesses that have survived being less than innovative. But I'd argue whether being competitive counts as "aiming higher"; competition doesn't always grow, sometimes there is constant competition, and innovation is part of business.
This is not external, but natural.
Humans need a constant supply of food/energy, food spoils etc. Tell me what kind of economy works otherwise.
I'm also talking more about life goals e.g. getting a better job, as opposed to working at all.
> competition forces you to "aim higher" because not doing so will make your profit fall with time.
This is dependant on a lot of things. There are plenty businesses that have survived being less than innovative. But I'd argue whether being competitive counts as "aiming higher"; competition doesn't always grow, sometimes there is constant competition, and innovation is part of business.