I hate being sick. I’m not good at it. I have had the good fortune to be very healthy for almost all of my 70 years, but I had a bit of a bad run lately. Thankfully, it appears that I’m going to be ok. I’ve learned through the years that nothing, NOTHING, else matters if you are not healthy. I was lucky enough to figure that out early in my life, and have always gone out of my way to take really good care of myself. Unfortunately, many people have not done this and so often it is the pursuit of money that is at the root of the problem. Money Rule #8 says it well.
Do Not Trade Away What Matters Most for Money
What matters most to you? Is it financial achievement? Accumulating the right possessions? A happy life seldom comes from material wealth. Good health, meaningful relationships, and spending your days in an enjoyable and satisfying way are what really matter most. I don’t think that anyone, at the end of their life, wishes they made more money. If you make the mistake of trading away the things that matter in exchange for money I believe it will end up among your life’s greatest regrets.
You do not have to be among the rich and famous to be guilty of breaking this rule. Millions of people do so every day of their lives. Do not be one of them. Do not make the mistake of trading away the things that matter most for money.
Money alone will not make you happy and it certainly can’t buy health. But money does hold undeniable power and can create misery if you choose to not deal with it in an honest way.
Whenever I provide financial coaching I always start by asking, “How do you want to live your life? What are your dreams? How do you create the life you want to live?” Instead of “How much money do you want to have?”
Use this Thanksgiving as a moment to answer these questions. When you do, you’re more likely to see to it that money takes its proper place as a tool to create the life you want, as something that adds to your life, rather than subtracts from it.
Reflect on the treasures you already have and cherish them. If you have your health you have wealth. If you are not well, I wish you the speediest of recoveries.
Happy Thanksgiving.