For the last five years my business has continued to grow and reach beyond my wildest expectations. I have finally found the peace I have searched for in my family life. I am surrounded with the greatest group of friends and support system. Yet money is still a struggle.
Every day I hear stories in my readings that bring me back to the world of reality. Today was one of those days. I was reading for a young girl who asked if I could contact a friend of hers that had died. He was young also and accidentally shot himself. I would like to say that these stories are few and far between but unfortunately in my line of work they are all too common. I thought about the mother of the child that died. I thought how I bet she doesn’t waste a minute of her day worrying about bills and money. I thought how I bet she would give up anything, including financial security to have that child back!
We put such value on money. We stress to pay our bills on time. We feed into the media frenzy about how we should have the best house, the best toys and the best of everything. We stay in jobs that we hate just because of the financial security they offer. Some of us even work several jobs just to keep up with the bills and struggles of everyday living. After that reading I thought long and hard about my own financial situation and how truly lucky I am to be doing what I love to do. No matter what, at the end of the day I always go home with a wonderful feeling in my soul. I thought about how each and everyday I am touched by the people I meet and hopefully I touch them.
The truth is when it is all said and done we can’t take it with us. The money will stay behind and all we will bring with us is the love we have received from other people and hopefully the peace of mind in knowing that while we were on this earth we made a difference in someone’s life.
I have had the wonderful pleasure of volunteering in a nursing home. I learned so much in the time I spent there. I always found it fascinating that no matter whom the person was a lawyer, a doctor, or a housewife I never heard them say remember when I made that million. No, instead they always reminisced about their family and the times they shared and the wonderful memories of friends and those closest to them. It was the special times not the paychecks that they loved to share with you. It was those simple kindness of others not the raises or promotions they received that brought smiles to their faces as they would share their stories.
As far as the crappy times…I myself like to think for every horrible situation I have been through there is someone going through the same thing and just maybe by sharing my experience with them it will make their suffering a lot less.
So the next time you are stressing over finances take a minute to remember what is truly important in life. And always remember that money is nothing but a fancy piece of paper.
And just as a side note, I have yet to see a tombstone that read…
Here lies Jane Doe
Born May 1920 Died June 2000
She was late on her credit cards 9 times