I was in an on-line forum the other day when someone asked the question, “What does it feel like to have lots of money?”  The person asking the question defined lots of money as $40,000 a year (which is certainly not a lot of money in the United States, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Some people in the forum responded saying:

How much money you make really doesn’t matter, because the more money you make the more debt you will have, so it all balances out.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a nice six-figure income since I was 23, and the truth is: Money makes your life easier. Not having money is like not having oil in your engine…it makes for a rough ride.

No matter how you try to slice it: Living in an apartment is not the same as living in a mansion, vacationing in Dayton, Ohio is not the same as vacationing in Hawaii; cleaning your home is not the same as having maids, and driving a Hyundai is not the same as driving a Mercedes. 

The reality is…you will step out of a Mercedes SL 500 differently than you step out of a Kia Sophia.  There will be a pep in your step; you will stand a little more erect.

In the forum I posted this quote as a response to the question “What does it feel like to have lots of money,” It is a quote from Wallace D. Wattles, the quote goes:

“Man’s highest happiness is found in the bestowal of benefits on those he loves; love finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving. The man who has nothing to give cannot fill his place as a husband or father, as a citizen, or a man. It is in the use of material things that a man finds full life for his body, develops his mind, and unfolds his soul. It is therefore of supreme importance to him that he should be rich.”

After I posted this comment from Wallace D. Wattles, someone else in the forum posted the following comment (I’m paraphrasing their comment), they said:

 “…that’s great…once I get rich, I will have a better life, I will have higher self esteem, etc.”

Feeling like they may have misunderstood my comment, I wrote:

Money comes from growth…money does not cause you to grow…money does not give you higher self-esteem…but high self esteem can help you to get more money…you have to “see it” then “be it” before you can “have it”…

Money will not make you a success…you must first become a success, then the money will follow…It’s like high school, you go through all the grades, then you get the diploma…the diploma doesn’t define you, it’s what you went through to get the diploma that makes you who you are…

That’s why people who win the lottery typically lose their winnings in a short amount of time…they got the diploma (if you will, the money)…so they look like a success…but they never became the successful person, as far as money is concerned…they never got the education…so they can’t hold on to the money…

Money ruins the fool…although it’s great, it’s a double-edge sword…a mugger uses a knife to kill, while a doctor uses it to cut out cancer, so it depends on the person wielding the knife…

The fact is, money is a liberator, it gives you the ability to do, be and have whatever you want, and that feels great.  However, money will not make you happy…happiness is a decision.

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