Money Is Not The Object!

As a child growing up I didn’t have much in life. My mother was getting government assistance from the time I could remember up until a little bit after I moved of the house. I’m proud of my mother because she now is working in healthcare and has returned to school to further her career. But, when I was growing up she did the best that she could with her resources at the time. I never really got my first pair of named brand basketball shoes until I was 16. The were a pair of Olympic Grant Hill’s in 1996. I paid for those shoes from my summer job at Eli Lilly & Co. in Indianapolis, IN. I never really knew how poor we were until I made it to high school, and it was painfully obvious. I never made it to prom mainly because of how much it cost. I couldn’t afford my cap and gown for graduation. We didn’t even have money for trips that I earned through my academic accomplishments. Sometimes counselors paid for my trips and in high school that’s embarrassing. Those were very lean times but they made me stronger and smarter.
Now I am a father. My kids have more than I did, but I want them to have more. I want to make sure that I can afford everything they possibly need to help them succeed in school and extra-curricular activities. I don’t want them to have the feeling of never going to prom. I’ll be 28 in June and I still wish I could go to prom. These are things I do not want my children to be without. My pain growing up and my desire to properly provide for my children, now and in the future, is my main motivation. It’s the fuel that feeds my desire to become rich. I at least want them to be comfortable in high school. My oldest will be 8 years old in October so I got 6 years before he hits high school. I want to be well prepared.
Some people want to get rich because of the money. I’ve never liked the sound of that. My reasons are a little more focused as you have read. I’m not saying that money is evil or that it is the “root of all evil”. I actually believe the lack of money is the “root of all evil” so I’m not against money. I just see money as a tool to accomplish some of goals I have in life. So even though money is the result or as Robert Kiyosaki says “the way you keep score” I see it more as a tool. When you work in a garden your motivation is not acquiring the tool, it’s the resulting flourishing garden. When you build a hot rod your motivation is not the wrenches or engine lift, it’s the resulting car. So my point is this, while money is important don’t make it the focal point. Money is only a tool. Your goals should be your focal point. My question to you is:
What’s really your motivation?
Think about it and write it down, review it daily. Until next time, be blessed and grow rich.