Wealth Building

Wealthbuilding. What Is It And Why Do We Do It?

Seems like a stupid question doesn't it. Any idiot knows
that wealthbuilding is making money, lots of money, and
the reason that we do it (accumulate money that is) is because
we want to have money and more of it. Right? Of course, that's right.
Or is it?

Merriam-Webster describes wealth using several definitions
including the 'abundance of valuable material possessions or
resources', 'abundant supply', and 'all property that has
a money value or exchangeable value'. Notice that the word
'money' never even shows up until the third definition.
Interesting hunh? I would be willing to bet though, that
if you asked any person on the street to give you a
definition of wealth, the vast majority would say that
wealth means having lots of money. And, while that may be
true, having wealth means more than having money.

Why do we engage in wealthbuilding? Do we really want money
for the sake of having money? While a few miserly souls may
answer in the affirmative, most of us would answer 'no'.
Most of us want to have money because of what it can do, or
what we think it can do, to enhance our lives.

We want money so that we can pay our bills and get out of
debt. We want money so that we can provide a sense of
security for our families. We want money to buy the home
or car we've always wanted. We want money so that we have
control over how we work and what we do, rather than
giving that control over to strangers and corporations that
know little, if anything, about who we are and the hopes
and visions we have for our lives. Those are reasons to
accumulate wealth.

Wealth provides access to resources and opportunities that
most of us don't otherwise have. It's the ability to obtain
the best health care. It's the freedom to come and go as we
wish. Want to take a trip to Tahiti, tomorrow? No problem,
let's go! Wealth is the ability to visit with our extended
families more than once a year or once every two or three
years. It's the opportunity to pursue those things that
we're most passionate about, whether that's birdwatching,
sailing the seven seas, or volunteering our time and
services to help the elderly, the homeless or children who
are in desperate need of caregivers and mentors.

The true meaning of wealth and the significance of having
it, is more about abundance and resources. Wealthbuilding
in its purest sense is the accumulation of sufficient
resources to allow each of us to live authentic lives; to
be who we are meant to be in this time and place on earth.

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If
you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever
have enough...You are who you are. If you were a jerk before
you had money, you just become a jerk with money, and the
opposite is true. Wealth hasn't changed who I am. My feet are
still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes."
-Oprah Winfrey*