The phrase “Money makes the world go round,” was first used in a musical play called “Cabaret” from the 1960s. Addressing money can evoke a lot of tension. Lately, I’ve had numerous stimulating conversations on the topic. Especially among Christians, talk of wealth and money makes folks very uncomfortable. You may find yourself already having a visceral response to this post. Tune in to that. How is your body reacting right now? Are you breathing deeper, is your heart racing, do you feel a knot in your belly?
As you may have noticed, self-leadership is a major emerging theme in this 90-day challenge. Because financial intelligence and wealth management are integral parts of self-leadership, let’s dive in and explore some thoughts on this sticky subject, starting with some definitions. Biblically, wealth connotes strength, might, ability, virility, and force, e.g. of an army. Culturally, wealth is “a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches,” (Dictionary.com.) It means an abundance of anything, e.g. Maya Angelou was a wealth of creativity or, Africa has a wealth of wildlife. In economics, wealth is “anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged.” In other words, wealth is anything you can use or exchange. I love that as a simple definition.
I’d like to make two points in this post. First, money is not bad. It is better to be in a heated room in the winter than to be freezing. That takes money. If you’ve ever flown first class, you know that money is not bad. If you’ve flown at all, versus taking a bus or hiking – you know that money is not bad. If you’ve stayed in a private room in a hospital versus a cardiac unit with 3 or 30 other people, you know that money is not bad. If you’ve had the opportunity to go to a hospital, even a terrible third-world hospital instead of staying home and dying, you know that money is not bad. Money can afford you comforts that boost happiness, well-being, and can even make the difference between life and death.
Numerous myths exist about wealth, but the most common one might be that money is the root of all evil. In reality, 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Maya Angelou, said, “Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” She proved this to be true through her exquisite gift of writing. So, while money is good and having it can boost your happiness, excessively pursuing money as a primary goal can paradoxically dampen your life satisfaction and impair your happiness, particularly in areas like family life and friendships.
My second point is that wealth consists of more than money. There are numerous other forms of wealth that we can trample over in pursuit of money. I’ve created the pie chart below to help us visualize some of them. I’d love to hear your thoughts on other forms of wealth I did not include in the chart.
Tomorrow, I will break down these aspects of wealth. meanwhile:
CTA:
1. In the comment, write 2 items on the chart are you familiar and comfortable with as a form of wealth.
2. In the comment, write 2 items that are novel to your understanding as a form of wealth.
3. Contemplate your responses to money today relative to your formative years’ experiences with it. If you’ve thought that money is corrupt, what experience(s) seeded that? I’ll share mine and invite you to share your story in writing or in a video interview if you like.
Stay faithful to the pursuit of self-leadership and transformation. Good things await you!