The Illusion Of Money
Most people think that wealth is only a matter of money; they overlook other resources.
Money is just part of wealth. We like it because it is an objective measurement, making it easy to draw conclusions and evaluate alternatives. The most valuable resource we have is our time, not our money. It is the only limiting factor, and we never know when it will cease to exist.
Money is an illusion.
We may think we like money, but what we really like is what we can do with money. Intuitively, we prefer to think more about wealth than about money, because we know that wealth is a far wider concept. Money is a way of keeping score, mainly because we live in a society where money has become an objective measurement. Rich people have a lot of money; wealthy people have a positive flow of resources. The real measure of wealth is the flow of resources. When we think about resources instead of money we create and discover new opportunities. It is what we expect to do with money that empowers us to have more.
There are many hidden costs and benefits that can help us balance the flow of resources in a way that works best for us. When we realize that our circumstances play a role in our wealth, we begin to look at money in a more practical way. When we limit our thoughts to money alone, we fail to see how we can creatively use the other resources we might have available, such as friendships, time, knowledge, and other assets.
The vaccine to measuring wealth with money is to value our joyful time. Wealthy people don’t have more money. They have enough because they don’t feel the need to have more. Our most limiting factor in life is time, not wealth. When we learn to balance our lives in ways that give us time to enjoy, to learn, to help others, we are wealthy. When we realize that we can have a great time without spending money, money becomes secondary to happiness. When we become aware that we are needed and set aside time to volunteer for a cause that is meaningful to us, we realize how wealthy we really are.
Wealthy people don’t “need” money; instead they attract it. It’s not that they want to be poor or think that living with less money is spiritual in any way.
Wealthy people have broken the ties between success and money and wealth and money. Success is being able to do what you are absolutely passionate about doing; being wealthy is having more resources than you need because you created them.
Assets don’t measure wealth; value does.