Why I do not believe that the love of money is the root of all evil

In my article about The Definition of Success I shared my views on what success and wealth means to me: My definition of success is about feeling good, doing what I like to do. Wealth is living with the people I love, caring about others.

This definition of success is a bit different than what is usually meant by being successful. For most people having money is the same as being wealthy and successful. My definition of success is different. But does this mean that I don’t care about money or see the love of money as the root of all evil? No, I like money, I love it. The difference is that money is not dominating my life. I see it as a tool.

I recently listened to the audio book version of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, in which the author, Robert Kiyosaki, says that rich people are rich at heart and have a rich mindset. While poor people are poor at heart and have a poor mindset. This is quite a difference in perception and attitude towards money.

Poor people usually fear money. They play is safe and never learn to master it. Money is dominating them. They are the people that would say that the love of money is the root of all evil. They simply do not understand what money really is and how it can be made. It is this attitude that makes and keeps them poor (moneywise). They work for money.

Rich people see money as a tool. They learn to master it so they can to create the life they want to live. They have a rich attitude. Money works for them.

Have a look at the following examples: If a guy with a poor attitude wins a huge amount of money and never learns to master it; it will not take long till he is broke again. He will spend it all. Buying things he doesn’t need. He may even end up with more dept then he had before. While, on the other hand, if someone with a rich attitude goes bankrupt, that person has a good chance to recover because of his rich attitude and knowledge about money. He will make investments and sees the whole experience as a lesson learned. Making sure he will never make the same mistake again.

Then what about the fixation of our society towards money? The role money plays in our lives? The wars fought over it and all the bad things caused by greedy people? Wouldn’t we be better off without money?

The way I see it is that money in itself is not the problem, nor is the love of money. It’s the believe people have that money will solve all their problems. This can happen to people with a rich mindset but also to those with a poor one. They believe in an illusion that money will make them happy. However, in my opinion, The Secret to Happiness has nothing to do with money.

Another thing, why speak negative about money? You can do a lot of positive things with it. The more you have of it, the more you can invest in positive things or give away. Give some to charity, to your favorite project or someone who can use it right now.

After listening to “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” I realized my definition of success is not that different than that of those who have a rich mindset (or at least that of Robert Kiyosaki). To me, money is a means not an end. Money is a tool, helping me living the life I want to live. A life I want to live now, not tomorrow.