Imagine you are a billionaire and have everything that money can buy... big chunks of land, mansions overlooking the sea, the most expensive boats, fancy cars, a personal jet, adventures, even beautiful women... just to mention a few. Does this guarantee personal contentment or true happiness?
It is a fact that people need money to survive. You sell goods and services for money and use it to buy what you want. Without money, there is no trade! The whole world revolves around money and it takes talent and ability to use it well. Money is important and it's for that reason that we strive to get or create jobs that earn us a good income. Hence we can:
- Meet all our personal expenses, loans and pay taxes.
- Invest and save it for our own future use or the next generation.
- Enjoy the basic needs of life and live a healthy life style.
- Get value and status in society which boosts our self esteem.
- Save and Change lives, provide education and charity to those in need.
Reasons for uses of money are endless. I have heard many people say that "... with money I am financially secure, confident and content". Yes, you can achieve some amount of happiness butwhen is the money trap so bad that it sucks all personal contentment out of us?
I honour and admire the first female British Prime Minister's, quote as the best answer "... Too much love of money for its own sake"
Did you know that too much love of money can make you lose track of things that meant so much in your life to the extent that you only mind about yourself and money. Yes... it even gets worse when you start seeing people as objects for your own use. At this level, your personal intentions of uses of money have been corrupted instead of the pure and true motives that bring real value to life. So we ask ourselves: Is money all there is?
Let's examine what happens when too much money gets a holdover you:
1. Rarely can you build good and solid relationships because you have devoted all your time to "Almighty Dollar"! Depending on the job you do, devoting less time for family which demands love, care and attention, will personally take away your happiness. You may not have a lasting relationship so you have to strike a balance between the two.
2. You can become a mean and deceptive person when you use money to control and divide people. Take note that when money is used in this way, it becomes an illusion and in the end it exercises power over you... because it is your god. Such people lose out on morality and cease to be men of good character in society. No place for personal contentment in this type of person.
3. You can become a very lonesome person because you lack genuine friends. Now that you have become a millionaire, many will get attracted to your money but not the inner person you really are. Everyone will want to relate and be seen with a rich and glamorous person who the world portrays as a gentleman. But deep in the heart of this millionaire is a person who wants to be seen as normal human being, down to earth individual and with a yearning to be accepted for who he really is. If this millionaire hits the bottom of his finances... where will all his friends be?
That why I love and agree with the famous media proprietor's, Oprah Winfrey when she quotes that " Everyone wants to ride with you in a limo, but what you want is someone who will take a bus with you when the limo breaks down". Goodness wasn't she right!
4. On a global level, too much love of money has caused greed, competition for power and a scramble for more resources in want for more wealth. This has caused suspicions, wars, economic instability and corruption in the world we live in today. Where there is no peace, there cannot be contentment.
5. Unless you exercise daily, adapt to a healthy diet, and keep on renewing your mind often with positive affirmations and sayings, unless you learn to control your mind, those possessing too much money are prone to suffer from anxiety or depression. Why? Because they are guilty of worrying so much about their own safety and that of their money.
In conclusion:
You can banish away all miseries that accompany the possession too much money by learning and practicing the Art of Giving because it is good for your spirit. When you spread your wealth in form of donations to those in need and give back to God His share, you are more content and can enjoy a reduction in taxes. Such people are usually satisfied when they see that their funds have accomplished something or made a difference in someone's life. This inspires their creative ability to make more wealth. A good example is the Microsoft Founder and Billionaire, Mr. Bill Gates doing good for the world. It's not surprising that he is getting wealthier everyday! The Bible scripture principle is correct: "As we give, we receive". The late, Erich Fromm (German Social Psychologist 1900- 1980) still supports the saying that "not he who has much is rich but he who gives much." These pure and true motives are of so much value to personal contentment and true happiness.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alice_Stella_Musoke
http://EzineArticles.com/?Does-Money-Provide-Personal-Contentment?&id=8185331