How To Think About Money

I'm really curious how you would answer a couple questions. First off, do you think money is intrinsically good, bad, or neither? And secondly, how much money do you think you'll have one day - at your financial peak?

Or what if I put it this way: if you could have anywhere between $0 and $1,000,000,000 dollars, how much would you want? Take a sec; think about it.

If you answered that last question with any amount between zero and $999,999,999, my next question would be: why?

For some of us, maybe we’d start saying, “Well, I’d want to have enough to take care of my family and enjoy life, but I don’t really need $1,000,000,000.”

And if you replied with something along those lines, I'd think that’s an interesting response. The reason is that it dodges the question. You haven’t told me why you want the amount you chose; you’ve only explained why you don’t want or need $1,000,000,000. And to me, that highlights that you may be carrying some negative mental baggage towards wealth.
​
Maybe you think of ultra-wealthy people as selfish, heartless, power-hungry, or just generally low-character people, and you don’t want to be associated with that. Perhaps you’re afraid of the responsibility that would come with being a billionaire. Or maybe it’s something else. Regardless, these false mindsets are barriers - limiting by nature - that we have to overcome if we want to engage with money in a healthy way.

For me, the answer to this question is obvious: I’d want $1,000,000,000. I mean, all other factors even, why wouldn’t I want more? More money means more opportunity - to make an impact, to influence, to enjoy, to invest, and to bless. If money equals opportunity, and opportunity is good, then money is therefore good. And I don't know about you, but I want good things. 

Now if you've grown up around or are familiar with Christian faith, then this type of thinking may be surprising to you. After all, the love of money is the root of all evil, and we're supposed to serve God, not money ... right?

​You can take a deep breath, because that's exactly right. However, I'm not talking about the love of money; I'm talking about money. And I'm not suggesting serving money, I'm proposing letting money serve you (and thus the causes you hold dearly). 

Let's just use some basic intuition here. What goal or dream of mine could I possibly accomplish better with less money? Could I invest, provide for my family, enjoy life, and make a difference all with just a few thousand dollars a year? Of course I could. But can I invest more, provide more for my family, enjoy life more,  and make more of an impact with one grand than I can with one billion? No way!  Money is not an end - it’s a means to an end - and the more means we have, the more and better ends we can create. ​​