Money and the heart

I remain convinced that money and the heart are intimately connected. Money acts as an amplifier of what is in our heart. It was Jesus who said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). 

It’s amazing to me how investing in a company can make my heart flutter to numbers on a stock ticker. But what deeper effect does it have on my heart? What happens to the heart if I have more than enough money? How does accumulating money create a burden of responsibility? Why does wealth tend to isolate people?

Andrew Carnegie: “Millionaires seldom smile. Millionaires who laugh are rare. My experience is that wealth is apt to take the smiles away.” Carnegie sold his company in 1901 for $480 million or an equivalent sum today of around $310 billion. 

John D. Rockefeller: “I have made millions, but they have brought me no happiness. I would barter them all for the days I sat on an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on three dollars a week.” Rockefeller is one of the wealthiest people to have walked the earth. His inflation-adjusted net worth in today’s dollars has been estimated at $340–660 billion.

John Jacob Astor: “I am the most miserable man on earth.” Astor was the founding member of the first multi-millionaire family in America. In 1948, he was the wealthiest man alive. 

Solomon, King of Israel: “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” His gold mines produced annually over $760 million in today’s dollars.

Despite these statements by prominent people of wealth, most Americans’ hopes are best summed up by this quote from comedian Spike Milligan: “All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.” Even though we’ve heard about the downsides, we’re willing to take the risk, perhaps thinking that, for us, things will be different. We hope to enjoy the upsides but avoid the downsides. 

Let’s move to gratitude. What if instead of focusing on what we don’t have, what if we focused on the stuff we do have. Let’s start with the basics a roof over our heads, electricity, modern plumbing, dental care—which matters more when you have a tooth ache. We take so much for granted. 

What if we spent time the next few days remembering the good things we have? I don’t think that leads us away from productivity, but allows us to enjoy the journey better. 

Action step: 

1)    Every day for one month, write down three new things you are grateful for. 

2)    Share it with someone. Online of in person, tell someone what you are uniquely grateful for everyday.