Know Yourself: What Do You Think of Wealth?

We all have a mindset about wealth. That mindset has both truth and errors. There are personal elements to any mindset. Meaning some things may be true for one person while being untrue for others. Yet, universal truths still remain. It is important to figure out what kind of preconceptions we have about money and wealth. It's these preconceptions that control your responses when faced with money-related situations.

A lot of people don't like the idea that we have a relationship with money. Many see money and any sort of quest for it to be wrong or even evil. Throughout history there have been people who gave up all worldly goods in the belief that it brought them closer to God. There are others who chose the path to seek financial wealth at all costs.

People even today feel that rich people are evil. I remember a discussion I had with a college professor who was stuggling to find a new job. I was telling him about some of things I had been learning from Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I was in the early stages of changing my mindset.

He truly believed that rich people are all bad people. It was really an odd concept to me as I thought about our conversation. This person was seeking a job in institutions where most would not exist without the wealthy people who founded them. It takes money to build and maintain buildings, pay for equipment, hire the many workers needed to keep a college running, and to provide scholarships for so many students. These costs aren't covered by tuition alone. This is why schools receive state funding and spend time soliciting so many donations from alumni and community members. The very job he was pursuing was made possible in large part through people who had wealth to share.

Of course wealth is not just about having money. It's about having faith, family, and quality of life. Those who deny that will many times end up with financial wealth and nothing else.

The thing that is harder to grasp is that wealth can include all of these elements. Money can't buy happiness, but it can take away stress and buy you free time so that you can have those non-material forms of wealth. What's more, you can open up that world for more people by sharing your financial wealth and by teaching others what you have learned.

Pursuit of wealth can be an idol in a person's life. When pursuing wealth becomes more important than anything else - it is an idol.

The opposite is also true. A person can make the abandonment of wealth an idol as well. This happens when the idea of financial wealth is mocked or turned against soley for the purpose of self glorification. Many times people believe they are serving God or seeking a higher cause and their real motives -unconciously - are to build themselves up or to create their own sense of righteousness.

How do you view wealth? Do you think your views of wealth are true? If you believe that your views of wealth are true, then test them.
Observe others
Look for contradictions
Do a deeper study of your faith's beliefs

You can't go wrong by digging deeper. You will find a deeper understanding of your belief and and an ability to communicate them to others. You may also find errors in your thinking that need to be corrected. It's important to find these errors. They are a part of growth. Who can deny the need for more growth?


Here's to the journey,
Deborah