Money is really important

“If you think money is not important, you don’t have it”

After hearing the panelist make this comment, I immediately looked around the room to see who he had just offended. Although I agree with him, I was surprised to hear him make such a strong comment in such a public forum. The truth is that this type of belief makes people without money and without plans to get it feel better. I have heard this thousands of times from family and friends when the subject of money comes up.

I remember growing up and seeing the movie “Can’t Buy Me Love” in school. The basic idea of ​​the film is that an unpopular high school student is desperate for approval and pays the main entertainer to go out with him for a month; or at least to make it look like they’re dating. In this way he will become popular, which was a guarantee of his happiness. The result was that she begins to fall in love with him and, in fact, he becomes popular. However, the popularity does not make him happy. In fact, the lesson was that money cannot buy you happiness. He was much happier with his original relationships than with the new ones from the “cool crowd.” I was in elementary school when this movie was shown to my class and I still remember it.

I’ve always believed that money can’t buy happiness and that I could honestly be satisfied without it, but I still wanted it and pursued it. I focused a large part of my life on achieving it and now, after all the years of hard work and struggle, I am glad I did. I live a very happy and fulfilling life, and money enhances it.

I relate money to alcohol. Alcohol, when consumed responsibly, can enhance an experience. It can ease challenging situations and it can bring people together. It can also ruin your life! One difference, of course, is that alcohol is much easier to come by, but other than that, there are many similarities. Both are enhancers and both can be addictive. Both can relieve stress, but both can also create stress. I know rich people who are miserable and I know rich people who are happy. Money creates neither one nor the other.

There was a time when I was trying to create wealth when I lost almost everything financially. I went through an extremely challenging time in my business and personal financial life. I stopped answering the phone because I knew there were debt collectors on the other end of the line. I learned a lot from this experience. One thing I know for sure is that I never want to be bankrupt again. Although I believe that having money is not a guarantee of happiness, not having money is a guarantee of at least some stress and pain. It is possible to be happy without money, but it is much easier with it. Money is important.

In my experience, the only sure path to happiness is through strong relationships. These days I dedicate much more energy to strengthening relationships with friends and family that make me happy. I also focus on limiting time and energy in relationships that drain me or make me unhappy. It is difficult to do, but the results are positive. Over the years in business, my circle of friends has grown into more positive and supportive people. This happened organically, but now that I am aware of it, I can focus on it. The real estate industry has been good for me in many ways, but the most important are the people I have met and now spend time with. Some of the most generous, understanding, and amazing people in the world are real estate investors. It helps to have a little extra money to have amazing experiences with the people you want to be with.

It is true that money alone will not make you happy, but it sure helps you. Money is important.