Money Is a Terrible Master
How much do you love money?
Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant. --P.T. Barnum
Between the two of us, we have 25¢. My friend, Doody-head (not his real name, but that's what he was), and I want to buy a newspaper from the dispenser. This was back in the olden days! He puts the quarter into the dispenser, opens it, and sees no paper on the rack. He lets the door close and starts laughing!
In those days, the last paper wasn’t placed on the rack. It was tucked neatly inside the door, allowing customers to see the day’s date and some of the front-page story.
We looked at the dispenser's door and saw the last paper. Doody-head laughed even harder, and I became irate! Our only quarter was gone. We wanted a paper, nope. One of my best friends was laughing historically at his ignorance. I wanted to punch him!
The quarter was just an innocent bystander to my anger. My biggest issue was that cackle-butt had wasted our only quarter, keeping us from one of our goals, and he thought it was freaking hilarious! Why was I so angry? He’d made an honest mistake. I was angry because I’d placed that quarter and us getting a paper before our friendship!
NOTE: The cackle-butt in the previous true story was and still is a good friend of mine. Due to my baggage (even as a kid), I took life too seriously. My friend enjoyed life and lived large! He has always been an incredible influence on me. The story illustrates how immature I was and how my priorities were disgustingly flawed.
In my last post, I shared that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. I asked the question that is the topic of this piece: How much do you love money?
“If our love for money causes us to lie, cheat, or steal, that's bad. If our love for money causes us to ignore the needs of those around us, that's bad. If our love of money causes us to make the pursuit of money the focus of our lives, that's also bad!” - Michael Hollifield
I’d add to those statements, “If our love of money is more important to us than our friends, that’s bad!”
I also shared a quote by American journalist George Lorimer:
“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check-up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”
If you want to perform a check-up, below are a few of the questions that you can ask yourself:
What is my main goal in life?
Why do I need money?
How much money do I need?
What would I do with the overage if I had way more money than I could ever spend?
Do I support any philanthropic causes?
Would my family and friends say that I’m a giving person?
Work through these check-up questions. Be honest with yourself. Last week, I answered a question that a writing colleague posted on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter):
“If the whole world were listening, what would you say?”
Below is my smart@ss response:
If I ever get the chance to speak to the whole world, I hope to share encouraging, thought-provoking, and life-changing words to make the world a better place. And maybe, after the heartwarming speech, I will ask everyone for $1.00. The person who posted the question handled it exactly how they should have and ignored it!
After posting my response, I took time for a money-loving check-up. Yes, I need money to meet the needs of my family and complete the goals I have for myself (and yes, I’m also a Wisenheimer).
When you’ve completed your check-up, consider the following two action steps if you feel that money may be too valuable or you view it as more than a tool to provide for you and your family and achieve your goals.
Make a list.
Who are the most important people in your life, or who/what are you willing to die for? The answer to this question should guide you in your money-loving recovery. There is a strong chance family, friends, and animals are on your list. Is money more important than them? Can money buy them? Of course not!
If you were given a choice of being with your family and friends or having money, which would you choose?
I have never heard of anyone lying on their deathbed looking at their family and friends and saying, "I love all of you, but I wish I'd had more money!" Most people realize how precious life is and wish they'd spent more time with loved ones.
Give your support.
Consider how you can impact the world by supporting causes bigger than yourself. Supporting causes that aid in global disasters, feed starving children, or provide clean water to those less fortunate is much needed.
There are ways to support these causes other than with financial support. You can donate your time regularly if you can't send money to non-profit organizations. Please don't take this wrong, but homeless shelters serve meals and need volunteers on days other than around Thanksgiving and Christmas!
But, if Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only times you have to donate your time, do it around those holidays. (Thank you for your support.)
Recap
Money is essential, but it is a tool to support you, your family, and the goals you want to achieve. If you wish to acquire money for any other reason, you risk opening yourself up to all kinds of problems. Keep yourself in check by identifying who or what is most important to you.
I’m all for saving as much money as possible to help you in the future. You might save for retirement, vacations, or money to leave your children and grandchildren. I’m down with that. Those are great reasons to save!
As you prioritize your loved ones over the pursuit of money, consider other ways to be a giver. You could support other causes financially or donate your time or talent to those organizations.
Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. - Ayn Rand (Russian-born American author and philosopher)
If you enjoyed this post and haven’t read part one (the post that inspired this post), you can find it here. Thanks for reading!