purpleverses.com

Have you ever heard of this: “Would you rather be happy or would you rather be rich?” I’m sure a lot of us have entertained the idea. I sure have. I even have pondered the idea many times growing up.

And why is it such a difficult question? Maybe because if you answer one way or the other, it reveals your true nature. So if you’d rather be happy, then you are someone who really just wants happiness. But if you choose to be rich, you are condemned by others of being greedy, selfish, and perhaps even evil. When I was younger, I opted for money on many occasions since I thought I’d be for sure happy as long as I were rich (hey I was young then).

In reality, I never liked the ‘would you rather’ game. It’s just downright frustrating. Why do we have to be subjected to this mental torture? Why do we subject ourselves to this game? Yes, it’s for fun or should be lighthearted. But I see a deeper psychological twist to it. I see that people are limiting themselves or their subconscious with one choice. And that one choice deprives you of other possibilities. Actually, I see people approach the topic not even in a question. People blatantly reveal to others that they don’t need money to be happy (I really have not seen the vice versa of this). Thus, silly questions like this that force you to choose one or the other are not conducive to a broader awareness. Basically speaking, we should have both!

Yes, we should all have money and happiness. I don’t think you can be exactly happy when you are broke and struggling. Okay, maybe you’re not broke but you live paycheck to paycheck, have a bunch of credit card debt or other debt, and fail to enjoy life as it is meant to be. Yes, you can be happy at times, but worrying about finances really does blow.

And I know money can’t buy happiness or love. But money helps sustain life. Money keeps you fed, warm, clothed, and sheltered at the very least. As long as your idea of a decent quality of life is that plus more, then money is vital to bring the desired quality into existence.

I for one have struggled with the idea of money. I grew up not having much of it and I was fed beliefs that money was evil; it was the root of it, and so forth. But for some reason, my vision of the future was affluent and prosperous even when I had bad thoughts on money and especially with people who had money (believing that they were greedy and not giving back to the poor). It wasn’t until recently that I started changing my whole belief about money. I always wanted it and envisioned it, but I realized I really cannot attain it unless I have a positive paradigm or relationship with it.

And you know what? I do want a lot of money. I desire to be rich because I can live the life I want with no worries. Being financially free gives you the time to pursue a worthy vision, a passion. Being rich also means you can help more people than you originally could. I feel that with more money, you can really give back more. Most importantly, I am comfortable with this goal and truly know that it is okay to want this for myself (I have relinquished all the past guilt).

Joseph Murphy once said, “There is no virtue in poverty.” That’s right. And I say, “Why remain average when we all have the awesome potential to be rich?”