The word “rich” is a button pusher for me. How do you know when you are “rich”? How much wealth is required to assign yourself that title? I have observed many people with obscene wealth (by anyone’s standards) who are still obsessed with obtaining more. I have also seen people with tremendous wealth who focus on using it to benefit others. Dad said, “Focus on getting rich, kid, and you will only make money. Focus on making a difference, and who knows—you just might change the world. That’s how you be significant.”
In The Colonel’s household, the emphasis was always placed on becoming a well-rounded person and being able to give back, rather than on the pursuit of wealth. We were expected to support ourselves as adults and to be ready to serve those around us who could benefit from our help.
Once, when we were stationed at Kirtland AFB, Dad met a young man who needed a car to get to work so he could support his family. Dad knew this kid had no money. He had hired him to do a few odd jobs around the house and respected his work ethic. Dad happened to have a spare vehicle that he was planning to sell. (Dad always had a spare-parts car around.) He could have sold the car to someone else for at least a thousand dollars and was planning on using those funds to build his shed and workroom in the backyard. In Dad’s mind, it came down to this question: Did he need the shed more than this young man needed the car? What decision was going to make a more significant difference in someone’s life?
Dad gave him the car.
We were never rich by anyone’s financial standards. Nothing we had was ever new, shiny, or glamorous. We did okay, and we got by. The Colonel believed that riches come in the form of talents, skills, wisdom, health, and stamina. These are the riches beyond price—the gifts we are given by God and the universe. He believed that those were the riches we needed to gather and use to make a difference – to be significant.
What “riches” are you focused on gathering? There is nothing wrong with accumulating financial wealth. A lot of good can be accomplished with wealth. The question simply becomes, what significant difference are you making with the riches that you are accumulating?
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