Following the conventional wisdom about money has left a lot of us buried in bills and feeling some stress. Our homes and TV screens may have grown, but our joy has not.
Some people look at the heavy debt loads and light savings accounts that are all too common in our culture and conclude that people have simply stretched too far. They need to rein themselves in, tighten the belt, cut back. At first glance, that seems about right.
But it isn’t right at all. The issue is not that we’ve stretched too far; it’s that we’ve settled for too little.
You see, our culture would have us believe we’re consumers and the path toward happiness is marked “more” — more striving, more money, more stuff. But looking to what we own for our ultimate happiness leaves us physically worn out, financially tapped out, and thinking there must be a better way.
Fortunately, there is a better way. It begins with an understanding that we were not made to be consumers. Discovering our true identity and purpose — rediscovering, really — is the essential first step toward using money in a way that is productive, meaningful, and deeply satisfying. For it’s only by understanding the purpose of our life that we can understand the purpose of money.
That’s what my work is all about.
To read more about my perspective and approach, read this post: “What I Believe.”