Money

"Money is in some respects life's fire: it is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master."
P(hineas) T(aylor) Barnum

Is money your master? It is when you think of nothing else (which is what happens when you don't have enough). You know money is your master when you beleive that having it justifies the means of getting it, when you are determined to get it no matter how many other people your actions hurt. We all know of people who steal, or commit fraud or scam other people, just to get money. This kind of behavior is rampant in our society.

People think that if they had lots of money they would be better people, but that's not the way it works. Money just makes you more of who you already are. It amplifies your character, and this often gets people whose character isn't good enough, in a lot of trouble. People like that don't enjoy their money and typically lose it soon enough. Fortunately that most of the time it takes sufficient work to get large amounts of money in the first place that a person is forced to grow their character in order to keep up.

Money is an excellent servant. It can do whatever you want it to do, once you have to character to use it wisely. It gives you the freedom to do and have the things that express your personality. It allows you to do the things that help other people grow too.

Don't make money your master: make it your servant instead. Don't think obsessively about having lots of money; instead consider what you plan to do with the money. Thinking about that will help you to determine your level of character right now (to what degree will you use the money to better the lives of others and in what way), and what you really want, which is useful. Money is just a tool. It makes it easier to do what you want to do. It's not an end in itself.

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