Here’s one of the most absurd statements I’ve ever heard…

Money can’t buy you happiness.

Of course, money can’t buy you happiness. But here’s what it CAN do: it can make you comfortable enough that you no longer need to think about it.

The price of most goods and services is continually increasing, yet it has been decades since I’ve cared about how much anything costs. Why should I worry about something over which I have absolutely no control? However, if I didn’t have money, I’d sure be thinking about it.

Money consumes our time and energy when we don’t have it. It reduces our infinite mental and creative powers to a worry machine.

However…

It’s Not About the Money

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is a book that is particularly important to me. I’ve read it over and over again since 11961. It’s a phenomenal book, and Hill is a great thinker who has profoundly affected my life.

One of the most interesting things about the book is that Hill delves into all kinds of topics, stories, examples, and exercises—but he doesn’t really talk about money.

That might seem strange for a book about “growing rich.” But Hill understood that one of the keys to creating wealth for yourself is understanding that money is not the goal.

Hill and other authors who have written about accumulating wealth understand that it has little to do with the money itself. Instead, it has to do with your mind, attitude, and the way you think.

When someone says they want to make a lot of money, what I hear is that they want the things they can trade the money for—the cars, islands, and planes—and the time to enjoy them.

Ultimately, the goal is to be on a journey of growth where you bring more of yourself to the surface. This leads to the greatest luxury in life—the ability to create a life you love, the life of your choosing.

A Few Words of Caution

Now that I have affirmed the importance of money, let me backtrack to add a few words of caution.

Money is a servant; you are the master. And you must never reverse the two.

Unfortunately, many brilliant people have allowed money to be their master. As a result, some of those poor souls loved money and used people.

But I want to be clear here. One of the fundamental laws governing true financial success is that we should always love people and use money rather than the reverse.

Where Do You Stand?

If you’re not sure where your relationship with money falls, look over the lists below to see which one best describes you.

Money is your servant if…

• You make your money work for you, not the other way around.

• You circulate money happily, understanding that it will return to you magnified.

• You use money to support your growth, development, and unfoldment.

• You have the feeling that you do or will have all the money you need to create the life you want.

• The amount of money you could earn was not the primary factor in choosing a career.

• You use money to provide service far beyond your physical presence.

• You understand that if you ever lost everything and went broke, you would get back on your feet and succeed again.

• You spend a considerable amount of time thinking about what you want in the next phase of your life.

• You understand that you have the power to choose the life you want.

However, money may be your master if…

• You avoid discussing your finances.

• Money is often the subject of family disputes.

• You constantly worry about bills.

• You can make only the minimum payment on credit card bills.

• You take on extra work or get a second job to pay the bills.

• You’ve taken out new loans to pay off old ones.

• You usually run out of money before the end of the month.

• You contract whenever you are expected or asked to give away money.

• You spend more money than you earn.

How did you feel as you looked over these lists?

If you felt uncomfortable, maybe it’s time to understand your fundamental duty to money.

Every Person’s Duty

I believe every person has a duty to become rich.

However, that doesn’t mean it should be our only focus in life.

I won’t lie. Even though I’ve earned millions upon millions of dollars, I still want more money. Not because I’m greedy but because it will allow me to do more good things in the world.

I’m assuming you want more money too.

As you earn more money, it’s also your duty to circulate it, including looking for opportunities to give it away without fear or resentment.

You see, money works harder than anyone or anything else in the world. It has no language barriers, doesn’t sleep, and one wise investment can generate huge returns. And money talks to the good things you want in life and brings them home to dinner.

In other words, when you’re a good master, money is a great servant. However, if you turn it the other way around, money won’t stick around for long. It will look for new opportunities and flee to someone who knows how to treat it better as soon as it can.

To your success,

Bob Proctor