Rich Man, Poor Man – Who’s More Noble of the Two?
I’ve been thinking about money a lot lately.
You made a quick judgment when you read that, whether you realize it or not.
I’ve been pondering how the beliefs we hold about money are formed very early in our lives and are so tightly woven into our thinking that they are rather hard to change.
I’ve always laughingly said, “money is not the most important thing in life but it’s in my top 5. If I have enough money, at least I can have my other problems in style.” Like most of us, I’ve had desert seasons in life when there was just enough and I’ve had seasons of great abundance. Abundance is more fun, hands down.
But some of us aren’t really comfortable with confessing that we want more money. We think that’s not very spiritual, or perhaps might even be morally wrong. That belief system can wreak havoc on your success in business.
I find it interesting that we can give mental assent to the fact that creating wealth is good for the economy, good for our families and a blessing to the community, yet if our deeply held heart’s belief doesn’t line up with this, we will sabotage our efforts to change our financial picture. And even when you make the mental decision to shift your thinking about money, it takes daily intentionality to synchronize your deeply held beliefs with your intellect and affect your actions.
Let me give you an example of the tug of war between our will and our emotions in something we’ve probably all experienced. Have you ever struggled with forgiving someone? I recall a time when I was deeply hurt and offended by someone. I wanted to forgive them, I needed to forgive them, and thus chose, as an act of my will to forgive them. Did that instantly change my feelings, responses and everything was just fixed in that relationship in a snap? Nope. It took work.
I would still find my gut clinching and old feelings surfacing when I was provoked. It was as if there were deep ruts in my thinking that my thoughts slid into if I wasn’t careful. It took time and effort to renew my mind, heal my heart and experience true freedom from negative thoughts.
And that’s the way it works when you embrace prosperity and have to work past an old poverty mind-set. It takes time and it takes effort.
Revelation on a subject will lead to inspiration and application. If you want to delve into some timeless truth on this subject, I suggest “Thou Shall Prosper“, by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. If you are in business, this is a “MUST read”!
“Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail” – Richard Friedman
You can have both.