Track Ur Aim

One woman says she bought a computer to help her figure her budget. The first thing she learned was that she couldn’t afford a computer.

Most people never feel as if they have enough money, and one of the greatest problems in too many lives is financial debt. Earl Wilson says, “Nowadays people can be divided into three classes – the Haves, the Have-Nots, and the Have-Not-Paid-For-What-They-Haves.”

Yet, since the beginning of time, people have been preoccupied with ways to get or keep money. In fact, in The Old Farmer’s Almanac of Everyday Advice (Random House, 1995), editor Judson D. Hale, Sr. lists a number of money superstitions from various cultures. Some examples:

I suggest we file these tidbits of advice in the “Ways to get money when all else has failed” folder. And it helps to remember that “getting” money is not an end in itself. Those who try simply to become as wealthy as possible have lost sight of what money is all about. After all, one can earn successfully and still not live successfully.

Do you want to live successfully? Then look at what you do with your money. Do you use your hard-earned resources to help others? Do you gladly support organizations and causes that serve humanity? Is the world a better place because of your possessions, no matter how limited you believe they may be?

Henry Van Dyke teaches, “There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher.” Regardless of how much we possess, there is always someone we can raise up a bit higher. And in so doing, we find that we will stand taller, too.

You’ve heard it said that the best things in life aren’t things. This truth is illustrated well by Andrea Jaeger.

At age 14 Andrea won her first professional tennis tournament. At 18, she reached the finals of Wimbledon. But at age 19, a shoulder injury brought her career to an end.

Her body was injured, but not her spirit. Andrea Jaeger no longer serves up aces on the court, but she is serving society. She began a nonprofit organization called Kids’ Stuff Foundation that brings hope and joy to children who are suffering from cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. She runs the organization full time, year-round, unpaid.

“You get very spoiled on the pro tour,” she says. “The courtesy cars, the five-star hotels, all the people clapping because you hit a good shot. It’s easy to forget what’s important in life.” She goes on to say, “I forget a lot less lately.”

Her life is an example of what can happen when one concentrates on worthy priorities. She remembers what is important in life. And I’ll wager she is fulfilled and happy because of her decision.

It has been succinctly said that the main cause for failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want at the moment. If the best things in life are not things, what do you want most? Fulfillment? Love? Joy? Happiness? Meaning? Intimacy? Friendship? Spiritual wholeness? Success? Health? Hope? Something else?

What if you traded what you want at the moment for what you want most — if you remember what is important in life and concentrate only on that. The life you build would be no less than incredible