How to become super duper rich while also paying the bills.
We are all just products of our environments and an emalgemation of all of the input we receive and consume. We are fed from an early age this idea that work is good, play is ok and rest, that’s for when you are dead. Our childhood and early adult life is spent trying to figure out exactly what kind of work we want to “do for the rest of our lives” ( As if we could actually figure that out ), and the goal we are taught to strive for is to make “good money” ( whatever the hell that means ). All of what makes us human and what is part of the human experience is boiled down to the hours of 9-5 and the days Monday-Friday. I have noticed something within my generation and even within some of my close friends and family. I see them struggling either to figure out exactly what they want to do with their life, or struggling with what they did “figure out”. People working so hard every day and yet getting nowhere closer to any goal. And I think we have been tricked, the wool pulled over our eyes perhaps. We have been taught to believe that if we work really hard and pour all of our selves, every last bit into our jobs and go above and beyond to make as much money as possible while we can, cramming as much into 8 hours or more as possible, that eventually we will arrive at this “I no longer need to work and can enjoy my life worry free” type of goal. Is that really a tangible, or better yet desirable goal? Within this current modern capitalistic system that we find ourselves in, has that ever been the bar to reach or are we only taught to strive for it? And now we have a generation of kids who feel lost, unfulfilled and more confused than ever. We have a younger demographic that is watching and wants nothing to do with the “daily grind”. And we have an older generation who sees the younger two and believes they are just “lazy” and need to shut up and go to work. So let me now explain to you exactly what it is that I have figured out at 26 years old ( tongue in cheek ) about doing the things that I love while also paying the bills. First, like an any good blogger we have to have a list. So here’s mine.
You have to pay the bills ( Duh )
Play is more important than pay ( Hmmm )
What does “rich” really mean ( Lots and lots of toys……right? )
I find the current world that I am living in so fascinating. Number one because we are so driven and motivated and taught to work and work and work. That you are essentially the sum total of hours you put into your shift at “the office”. But secondly that as a society we are praising self-awareness, rewarding higher EQ and demanding our jobs provide “safe spaces” for us so that we are comfortable for our 40 plus hour weeks. Is it actually possible to have our cake and eat it too per se?
As a society we have decided what makes up a life and what we need to live. There are some bare necessities that we all need and as the good ol bear says those bare necessities are supposed to help you forget about your “worry and your strife”. But as I look around me all I see are people worrying and striving, striving and worrying every day until they die. Is that really a life worth living?
The reality is that no matter how hard you try you will never be able to escape the need for food, shelter and a few other basic things. And our need of those things is not a weakness or a downfall. As followers of Jesus there have been some believers on the fringe who have preached the evils of being attached to this world. But even Jesus himself said to be in the world just not of it. I do not believe my need for a bed and pillow categorizes me as someone who is “of the world”. So first and foremost, when we talk about what it truly means to be rich and live a rich life this side of heaven we have to come to terms immediately with the reality that bills are a part of our life here on earth. There is no escaping them. Even Bear Grylls has to pay for a new pair of socks or a meal.
In Luke 8, John 12, and Matthew 17 we see instances where Jesus either instructs someone on how to handle his personal financial situation, entrusts someone to handle it for him or has people who are donating to him and his cause to help cover his bills. Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the fulfiller of prophecy, even he had bills to pay. Alright so now that we got that out of the way ( Ewww I know ) let’s get to point number two.
I see a shift in this modern generation in regards to play, and the value of our personal hobbies, interests, desires and passions. But what I fear is that even with this newfound interest in play we still have placed it in the wrong spot. I love to write and and have done it for fun for years. I remember a few years back when I was at Bible College a buddy of mine read something I had written, an article or journal entry perhaps. He enjoyed it and seeing the value immediately began giving a value proposition on my writing, pitching me on how what I was doing was so good and in his mind valuable that I needed to write a book or a blog post where people could pay to read what I was writing. I got excited and began to plan, dream and brainstorm. Before long though I was so focused on making money that I was no longer writing at all. I had become distracted with potential ways to “pay the bills” and forgotten the kind of play that had gotten me there.
Play, personal expression and enjoying your life through activities and outlets are good and healthy simply for their own sake. By themselves, on an island they are good for your soul.
So I want to know. What do you enjoy to do? You like to read? write? fish? collect something? knit? etc….. What is it that stirs your heart and you would continue to do no matter the paycheck or lack thereof. Do more of that. Do not make yourself feel bad or guilty because you are spending your evening having fun in play. It’s ok to say no to certain things or make a little less money maybe in order for you to be able to pursue the actually good stuff of life, what you actually enjoy.
Why is it that we derive so much of our identity and personal worth from how we make money. We call ourselves a mechanic or a nurse because thats what we do for a living and then we relegate our interests and passions to the garage to be pulled out or talked about “when we have time”. If you enjoy photography and that is your true passion and joy, then you are a photographer ( I know, crazy right? ). It does not matter if you never make a dime from it. Thats what truly stirs your soul and makes you feel alive. Thats what God wants for your heart and soul.
Alright so my last and final point. The one you actually care about. How do you get super duper rich. In the post war era of the 1950s success was the number one pursuit and goal of the average American, christian or otherwise. To be successful was directly linked to somones’s ability to acquire new physical items. The house, the car, the clothes, having a retirement plan, investing in the stock market and completing your four year degree. All goals deemed worthy of achieving for anyone and yet I cannot help but ask the simple question why? Why all that? Why the house? the car and a good savings plan? Is it really the sign of a mature, responsible adult who is “successfully” making his mark on the world? Or is it rather an individual who is placing their worth on something physical and quickly fading?
America and the western world that young people found themselves in after the great wars was a world that had been deprived and starved of stability, peace, and quite frankly happiness and joy. For the young 20 year old simply being able to go clock into a job or drive a vehicle instead of trying survive a war front was amazing and society rode that high for a long minute. Today we still have similar ideas and mindsets even though that high faded a few generations back. And so now my question is why? Why do you feel such an innate need to have house with the white picket fence, two kids and a dog? Is it because that is a successful life or is it rather because we crave security and stability? Having the new toy satisfies our egos and soothes our insecurities. And I cannot help but get the sense that when Jesus spoke about having our treasure in heaven we read that, say amen and move on.
Jesus also said that we are supposed to be “a light on a hill” and we try so very hard for that light to be the brights of our big house. As any good prosperity preacher would tell you I think God does indeed want us to be happy, healthy and rich. But all three of those achievements come from much more simple moments than our 401k. When a father who gives up a good opportunity to make less money but that “less desirable” job allows him to read the back of the cereal boxes with his 5 year old. Or when that mom decides to stay up late making shopping lists because she has to budget extremely well because she is in a single income household, and yet that fact means that she is there for each of the small milestones in her daughters life. That. That right there is the good stuff. It is so easy to get lost in the hamster wheel of capitalism and overwhelmed by the consumerism mentality that we feel like we have no choice but to drink our coffee and keep clocking in to work.
That is just not true.
Wasted is the life spent pursuing consumer goods and fads and fashions and completely ignoring your heart and soul. You do have to pay the bills. Do so with joy. But you also need to play. Pursue it with passion.
Bills
Play
Joy
Passion
That is a good life, that is a truly rich life.
Matthew 6:19-21