All you have to do is ask any student that I have..."What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Oh, I don't care. I just want to be rich." That is the most common answer that I get when I ask my students. What do they really want to do? Honestly, they don't really care. Make a difference in the world and the future? If they can get rich doing it.
This made me question what was going wrong. The conclusion that I came to? They are only repeating the actions that they have seen around them. Look around you. Even right where you sit. I bet that there are ads telling you what you should or shouldn't buy- all because they say so and because they know what will make you happy. They most likely are hearing their parents talk about money a lot and see its value when they want to buy something.
Obviously, money is important. There is no way to deny that. It allows people to live and to enjoy themselves. However, having vast amounts of money is not an end all- at least not in my opinion. People get so fixated upon how much money they have and what nice things they can buy that they lose track of what really matters.
Our school had the honor of having Tim Green come and speak to us yesterday. While he was here, he told a story that I really enjoyed. He said that he was speaking in front of a very large and rich private school in the heart of Texas. A student asked him if he was rich. He replied yes, most likely richer than anyone that you will meet in your whole life. The students all looked around puzzled. He replied that he was rich because he had a job that he loved, a great wife, and four loving kids. That was the way that he measured if he was rich- not with dollars and cents.
When you are in your final moments on earth, what is going to really matter? The amount of money that you made, the nice car that you drive, how big your saving account is? No, it will be the friends and family that surround you.
It is so easy to get caught up in the physical world and in money. Take this weekend to spend time with your family. Call up those who aren't close enough to visit. Let them know what they mean to you.
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