“Money often costs too much.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Spending on What is Important
Yes, money costs a lot. It can cost our physical health, our emotional health, our family and our friends, just to name a few. Furthermore, it can cost us our morals, values and integrity. I learned early on in my career to not chase the money. Yes, I wanted to live comfortably, but we don’t need a million-dollar house or the newest car or the newest and latest of anything.
I watched money fully corrupt a person who said his values were truth, transparency and integrity. But I knew what he was stealing. All of it. I knew the wrong billings, the un-refunded excess, the personal expenses, the extra mark-ups, the screw-ups by a vendor that refunded us that the client never saw. None of this said truth, transparency or integrity. Money costs a lot, and it certainly cost this person my respect and trust.
Money cost me a lot when I was so worried about losing my job in bad times, that I would double down and spend more time at work than at home with my family or with friends. I sacrificed my physical and emotional health to keep earning what I was earning. But it wasn’t making me any happier. Money doesn’t make you happy, it just costs a lot to find out you may be miserable.
This doesn’t mean I live in poverty; we live a comfortable life. Plus, I can sleep at night, knowing I no longer let money cost me anything, my health, my family, my friends, and my values.
