Don’t Confuse Money With Wealth

ByMatthew

“No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” – Henry Ward Beecher

One the things I hear a lot as a coach (and student of personal development) is that having money doesn’t guarantee happiness. (It doesn’t… ) (Of course, not having money doesn’t guarantee happiness either.)

I want to use this space to remind you that it is who we are that matters, because we are always with ourselves.

If we are feeling unhappy, unsatisfied or unfulfilled, it is because of who we are being, or not being.

We are often our own worst, quickest and most consistent critics. That can be both good and bad.

Good, if we pay attention to the feedback we are getting from our actions, and emotions. And make positive, authentic and sustainable changes.

Bad, if we dwell and ruminate, taking ourselves out of possibility and shut ourselves off from the wisdom that is feedback (and all results are feedback (thus, there are no failures)).

Money makes economic stuff possible, or easier. That’s all it really does.

If you want to be happy (and effective, and fulfilled), carefully curate your thoughts and act in accordance with your better impulses… they won’t steer you wrong – but you must pay attention and pay action.

Similar Posts

  • It Is *Always* Possible

    ByMatthew

    Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama) I could go in all sorts of directions with this one, but I want to focus on one that doesn’t occur to so many people. Be kind to yourself. Always. That doesn’t mean you rationalize or tell yourself…

  • Questioning and Acceptance

    ByMatthew

    One’s first step in wisdom is to question everything – and one’s last is to come to terms with everything. – George C. Lichtenberg These are not steps, in the traditional sense, to be taken in sequence. Ideally one takes both steps simultaneously, throughout their lives. I don’t mean to say you question “everything” in the…

  • Learn. Always.

    ByMatthew

    Today’s words of wisdom apply in myriad ways. “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” – Albert Einstein Of course, intellectual growth should always continue in one’s life, but there are other key areas as well. Our physical, emotional and spriritual growth and development must continue throughout our lives, if we…

  • What Do You Want?

    ByMatthew

    If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want go far, you have to go with others – Dale Brown The interesting thing, the truth that is sometimes hard to grasp (and accept) is that just about anything worth working on and having, requires partnership and collaboration. Yes, there are things that you…

  • What Independence Requires

    ByMatthew

    People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take. – Emma Goldman As we pause in the United States to have cook-outs and watch fireworks, let’s take a moment to reflect on what our Independence Day is all about. Back in 1776 Thomas Jefferson gave us…

  • And You Have SO Much Left

    ByMatthew

    Oh, my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts.  It’s what you do with what you have left. – Hubert Humphrey People discount themselves all the time. Unfortunately many focus on what’s gone wrong or what they don’t have or what seems out-of-reach. It’s the focus that causes the problem. We have…