Your Money or Your Life? - A Financial Crisis Comment
Which do you value most: your money or your life? This was what highway robbers used to demand. I mean the ones that used to ride horses in the olden days. TV and newspaper coverage of the world financial crisis at present would lead you to believe most people are opting for the money. Terrorism, climate change, droughts and warfare are being pushed aside in the rush to beg for mercy at the shrine of the stock exchange.
Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to belittle the seriousness of the situation. The crisis is causing very real, life-changing problems to many people and to their dependants. I did however say life-changing, not life-threatening. Some of you may still argue with that too. If you don’t have the money, what value is there left in life?
That’s where I believe the situation really gets serious. The day we put money at the centre of life is the day we stop valuing the natural wealth stored within the authentic self – the inner person we are, have been since birth and will continue to be until death us do part. That’s the person who is the source of:
• personal growth, satisfaction and lifelong desires.
• passions that drive potential, stored within a unique mix of natural-born skills, abilities and talents.
In the last couple of decades or so, humanity has had to come to terms with dramatic changes, stresses and pressures to perform. It has been made easier by the ready availability of money to buy almost anything we want. The sudden loss of that money availability – and the need to pay back loans - has reminded us that happiness and financial wealth are located on two entirely different life paths.
Personal values have become vague and uncertain in deference to the politics of economic rationalism in which everything is measured by the dollar.
They say good comes out of all ills. I am increasingly hearing positive, human responses to the economic crisis:
• Deciding to love the person they are, no matter what money they have.
• Philosophical reflections that life goes on no matter what,
• appreciating more what they have, rather than what they would like.
One of my friends, who owns a very successful business, has developed what he calls a minimalist approach to life – enjoying the fact that, within himself, he has everything he needs, irrespective of any impact the financial situation has on his business.
This isn’t a debate on which is right – financial worth or self worth. It doesn’t seek an either/or answer. It’s about respecting the fact that success is found from within, utilizing all the resources - natural and material – at our disposal. It’s about respecting the dignity and worth of humanity – self and others.
We come into the world with nothing and we will leave it the same way. It’s what we did along the way, not the money we spent, that others will remember after we’ve gone.
Your Money or Your Life A Financial Crisis Comment - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Nicholls's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
![]() | |
| |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
|
| |
| |||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
![]() | |
![]()
| |
![]() |
|
Enjoy Being You - When you 'lose' yourself in an interest you love, you 'find' yourself. Passion unlocks potential - at work, home and play. Visit my website at www.workleisure.com
|
|
|
|
|
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | ||
|
| ||
![]() |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
![]() |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
![]() |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() | ||
|
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009 | ||
|
Choose A PR Topic
Press Release Builder | ||
![]() | ||
![]() | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||








Subscribe to Peter's articles











