Clearly, money isn’t everything. For me, it’s not even in the top five. God, family, service to others, good health, and an enlightened mind come first in my life in that order. And perhaps we could say that an abundance of these five dimensions constitute true wealth. In this sense, one can be wealthy without being materially rich.
But don’t get me wrong. I’m not against being rich, unlike some Christians who think that having money is somehow wrong or morally suspicious. That’s a huge misreading of the Scripture. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil; it simply says that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Money, by itself, is neither good nor bad---it’s neutral. It’s only the love of money that’s the problem---and that’s a human problem, not a money problem. For example, I personally know a good number of very rich individuals, including two millionaires, who are really godly and generous. At the same time, I have also come across many poor people who are just plain greedy and stingy. So, there’s no virtue in being poor.
Money is simply a tool. Like a hammer, money can be used to build or to destroy. When you put it into the hands of a human being, it takes on the character of that person. It does whatever that person holding it wants to do. Or, we can liken it to a brick. You can take a brick and throw it at someone’s window or you can use the same brick to build a house. That brick doesn’t care what you do with it because it’s just a brick. To assume that someone must be bad because he is rich is like saying, “Oh, that person has a huge pile of bricks, so he must be bad.” Or, it’s like saying, “That guy doesn’t have any bricks, so he must be good.” That’s nonsense. You’re not bad if you have bricks and you’re not good if you don’t. The same is true with money. So, the logic is this: money in the hands of bad people can be very dangerous, whereas money in the hands of good people can be very useful.
Still, a lot of good people may dismiss the concept of financial success as an “unworthy” goal. But I believe that understanding money---how to ethically make it, keep it, and share it---adds a positive dimension to wealth. Our lives, our relationships, and our happiness can improve when we have enough money. As such, it would please me greatly if you have a pile of money in your bank accounts. I want you to be able to buy nice things, cover emergencies without stress and panic, have sufficient reserves in your savings for your future, plus have some cash on hands to bless other people.
Although pursuit of money shouldn’t become an obsession, I believe many of us would be better off if we could make more money. According to Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen, who have taught thousands of people to become millionaires, say that anyone can become a millionaire provided he or she applies the following wealth-making processes:
1. Dream: Developing self-confidence and a burning desire to be a millionaire.
2. Team: Attracting mentors and like-minded partners to make your dream a reality.
3. Theme: Selecting and applying one or more of the basic millionaire models for making money fast.
Just to be crystal clear, I don’t believe in get-rich quick schemes or scams some people easily fall for. Nor should we approve anyone getting rich at the expense of the poor people (resulting in a win/lose outcome). Such a wealth-accumulation method is morally wrong and socially destructive because it causes the poor to be poorer. There’s a proper way to create wealth in an ethical, honest, and win/win manner. When we focus on adding value by sharing our wealth in knowledge and cash, we make everyone better off and we also make the world a better place to live in.
One goal most people have in common is to become rich, and when you think of being rich the word “millionaire” often comes to mind. Although you and I may think it’s impossible to have so much money, the truth is that there are already an estimated 17 million millionaires in the world today. And many of these people would tell you and me that anyone can become a millionaire even when we have little or nothing to start with.
With this in mind, I’ll be sharing certain proven money-making strategies of millionaires in the next few Thursdays in this paper,
The Morung Express. My objective is this: inspire and/or assist as many young people as possible in Nagaland to become millionaires by 2075. When this happens, hopefully Nagaland will be an economic powerhouse as well as a giving nation.
