Why Do You Want Wealth?

I've been doing a lot of learning about what it takes to make money and how to make it so that becoming successful won't destroy me (because it definitely can -if my character is lacking in the little things, that will only become worse as those same things increase), and one piece of advice I came across was rather awesome and I wanted to share it with you:

Find out why you want to have wealth, write it down, so that you can refer back to it from time to time and use it to keep yourself on track. (paraphrased from Dr. James B. Richards)

Something about that set off fireworks in my brain, so I started writing it out, even the silly-sounding bits, and I decided afterwards that I wanted to share it with you.

Why Do I Want Wealth?

So that I can...

... make beautiful things that glorify God.

... have the time to spend with those I care about.

... read really good books.

... discover new worlds, new thoughts, new ways of being -both internally and externally.

... grow the talents, passions, and faith of others.

... set aside a million dollars for God's purposes and be able to replenish it the moment he tells me to give (that is, I would always be ready to give. No delay).

... take a video of me swimming in money, and then give all that money away to children's hospitals around the world. ALL of it will go to those hospitals. ALL of the internet and media attention will also go to those hospitals.

... encourage, empower, and uplift missionaries working in the field -even if that field is their own home.

... fund the designs and aspirations of those inspired by God.

... further justice in countries that have none.

... do so much good in the world that I am no longer needed.

... teach the Bible without asking anyone for a single cent -but I will accept what they give and take it as God telling me that he loves me.

I want wealth so that I may love more effectively, efficiently, and in such a way that I will know that nothing is impossible with God, because people will see that and know the same thing.

What's the Point of Money, Anyway?

Money is a tool that we use to do things that we could otherwise not have done (easily). That's it.

The more money we have, the more we can be generous (giving in such a way that we look only to the benefit of those we are giving to).

At the same time, the more generous we are, the greater our capacity to experience wealth becomes. Partly because we view that wealth as a tool to aid our generosity.

My list up there is filled with desires that relate to God because he's the most important person in my life. And that's huge for generosity -being passionate and excited about why we are giving.

Money allows us to enrich the world around us in the ways that we care the most about.

It also removes a lot of stress by helping us deal with certain things more easily.

Wealth isn't evil, but what we do with it can be.

What about You?

Now, something else I've been doing is learning about social influence (yay university!) and I learned that, if we write something down, we become more committed to it. We believe it more.

Part of the reason why I made this public is so that I can have a record, so that I believe in it more strongly, and so that I can be held accountable. But the biggest reason why I did this was because I wanted to encourage you to think about this topic and give you a chance to decide where you stand.

Why do you want wealth?