Money is not everything. I used to believe that, and I still believe it, but from time to time, I struggle.
During my college days in 2014, I never thought about money.
And then, when I ventured into the world to pursue my dreams, I gave no heed to it.
However, as life has hit me now with responsibilities, and I am forced to walk on the path of purpose and professionalism, money has somehow become the most important thing in my life.
If today I say money is not everything, I guess I am lying.
I am doing it because if I want to stand apart and be superior to people do have it, that’s the only way.
Because I don’t have money, and in order to compete with them, it’s the only move I have.
But if I say money is everything, then it is also not true. It is just an excuse to do things that are not worth doing.
So, if money is not important in life, yet, at the same time it is, then what should a person like you and me do? How can we stop saying money isn’t everything, and at the same time, not give it our all?
Well, for that, we have to look at the following facts of life and understand when money is important and when not.
Table of Contents
- 90% of life’s situations depend on it (True)
- Money is the most important thing in life (False)
- Our purpose shouldn’t be chasing money (Money is not everything)
- Money is not everything, or is it? The world needs balance, so does money
90% of life’s situations depend on it (True)
Think of the moment when you did an important thing in life, and you didn’t require money to do it.
Well, it is hard to think about that moment because it happens almost never.
Almost everything we want to do in life needs money.
If you want to live a good life, you need money. For example:
- To eat good food, you need money.
- To drink water, to have electricity and internet in the house, you need to pay your bills.
- To go on a date, to have children, to offer education, you need money.
- To live in a house, you either have to pay the Mortgage or the rent.
A life worth living needs money, a life full of people needs money, and a life with a purpose needs money, so how can we say money is not important?
Last year, Sept 2024, my mother fell sick, diagnosed with stage 4 typhoid.
We had to take her to a hospital and start the treatment, where right from the start, money was the answer.
Think for a moment, if we had no money, would we have our mother with us today?
No, I guess not.
But what was important there? Money or my mother?
It’s obvious, my mother, but to have her, what was important?
Money.
See, if we say money is not important, this simply means nothing is important. Or perhaps, losing all the important things in our lives.
However, this doesn’t mean money is everything.
Money opinions like this are dangerous for everyone. How? Let’s discuss that as well.
Money is the most important thing in life (False)
Think of the moment when you wanted to do something very badly. Something you were so passionate about, what was your behaviour then?
If you were so passionate, then I should guess you cared about nothing.
You didn’t pay attention to people’s opinions. You didn’t pay attention to what’s happening in the world. And you didn’t pay attention to what others are doing and where they are in life.
Your focus was on you and how your ideas are thriving, instead of comparing yourself to others.
Now, imagine this: what will be your behaviour if you make money your only purpose?
You’ll care about nothing other than money.
You will run after money and avoid real connections, and the connections you make will be based on the factors of money.
If you run out of it, you’ll run out of connections, too.
When you make money the most important thing in your life, it engrains fear of losing it as well.
You give it so much power that it becomes your breath, and if you lose your breath, you die. So, in order to stay alive, you do everything. When I say everything, it means everything.
And where money is everything, there will be no:
- Integrity
- Kindness
- Compassion
You lose all those things.
Now, I want you to think again. If we made money the most important thing in our lives, would my mother still be with us?
Our purpose shouldn’t be chasing money (Money is not everything)
When we look up to people like Elon Musk or Donald Trump, it is natural to feel that money is everything.
- They have the power
- They have the girls
- They have the freedom to do everything
But wealth without values has no meaning more than water in the palm.
We might feel like we have it, but the reality is always different.
Time, money, water, and sand are given to people a little.
You can try it yourself. Just pick some sand and make a fist, the moment you do it, it starts to slip from your hand, and at the end, remains only a fragment of it.
You cannot hold it. The more you try, the more it will slip.
The same is true with money.
By chasing it, you try to hold it, which can never be accomplished.
Whereas, if you do something to solve a person’s problem, it will follow eventually. If you regard connections before money, you will experience so many beautiful events that will last longer than money.
Money is important, but to a limit.
Your purpose shouldn’t be chasing money, instead, it should be:
- Solving real-world problems.
- Knowing your values.
- Understanding your true self.
When we chase money, we forget our true selves as well, which we shouldn’t do, no matter what.
And you don’t need power to bring people to you, a good cause will do it on its own in a much better way than money can.
Money is not everything, or is it? The world needs balance, so does money
A day is followed by a night.
Something destructive is transformed into something constructive.
And the inception of a life’s journey is fulfilled by death.
Wherever you look, everything is balanced, and if it is balanced, you’ll find peace and harmony.
If one part tries to overpower the other, it disrupts the harmony, and with that, the system altogether.
If being poor is wrong, then so is having so much money.
It is dangerous to give no attention to money. So it is dangerous to give too much attention to it. The whole world is organised in balance, so why doesn’t money?
Well, it should.
Because that’s what nature requires.
If you are not following nature, you’re following something that would lead you to your worst nightmares. So, don’t avoid money; at the same time, don’t make it your breath. Don’t say money is not everything; at the same time, don’t say money is everything. Instead, have balance.
And how can you do that?
If this hasn’t given you an idea, then follow the framework below.
I hope this would help you move beyond money, and you create value in the world, not only for people, but for yourself as well.
Thank you for giving your precious time to this article.
I believe it has surely given you a new perspective on money and how to approach it. If you liked what you read, please share it with others, and if you have any thoughts, share them in the comments section below.
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Nathawat Brothers
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