"Money is the root of all evil." How many times have you heard this yourself over the years? It's a phrase that most regular people grow up believing, and still, we all dream about winning the lottery or getting the promotion or raise that would take us out of survival and into surplus.
Back when I was still a school teacher, I was also a big activist. It meant that a great deal of my free time was spent at rallies and meetings or angry protests against people or companies who were oppressing the under-serviced communities or individuals. It was a life in which I felt very full of purpose as well as frustrated, like our efforts were never going to get us anywhere and we were just preaching to the choir. Plus, all that anger felt toxic in my body and on my soul.
When I decided that I wanted a different life, one where my words had weight, where I could feel unified with my fellow humans and not in a constant "Us" against "Them" battle with people that were more similar than different from me, I lost a lot of friends. Even my boyfriend at the time didn't understand and called me a "capitalist" in our breakup conversation. Though, what I got in return was a new purpose that brought me peace and greater happiness than I'd ever known.
I stopped being angry at people that I only knew from the media and organizations that I was told to hate and avoid because they believed something different from "Us." I found that I was happier finding ways to unite and cooperate with my fellow man than separate the human race. And I discovered that one of the ways I could do that more effectively was to get myself out of survival so that I could be free to help more people.
The time that I had felt this most acutely was right after Hurricane Katrina. Many people were migrating to New Orleans to help however they could or giving more money than they ever had to a cause before. I was so moved to join the efforts, however, there was nothing I could do. I was tied to a job where I didn't have enough days off to volunteer my time and even though I had a respectable job as a public school teacher, I was still living paycheck to paycheck and didn't have much in additional funds to contribute.
I'm sure many of you have felt like you wish there was more you could do for yourself, your family, or even the world. If having more money is something that you would aspire to in your life, you're completely normal! You can let yourself out of any guilt that could be holding you back to making a bigger impact on the world through a path of greater wealth.
Activism still holds an important place in society and our progress as a race. There is nothing nobler than standing up for the fair treatment of other humans. However, there are many ways to do that. What would the world be like if more millionaires were also human rights activists?
I can speak from experience as well that the path to wealth can also be a path of greater self discovery and *gasp* spiritual growth! As we grow our wealth, we also must grow our self-confidence, give up old beliefs, and expand our ability to receive.
Last summer I released an episode with Johnny Fernandez, the co-founder, with his wife Laura, of Life Launch Training. He discussed with us this concept of the pursuit of wealth being a spiritual path.
Check out this promo of that episode and then look up the full episode on the healing from the roots website. www.healingfromtheroots.com
