Money Matters

April 15, 2010 

I recently watched the soft spoken business guru, Brian Tracy, give a speech about how to achieve success. It is always satisfying to have a respected expert validate what you yourself have already learned. In my book, From Survival to Thrival, I trace my struggle from being too poor to take my clothes to the coin laundry (consequently washing them in the bathtub) to, well, much more affluent.  Money isn’t everything, but financial health is one of my thrival tenants for the four pillars of health: health for the mind, the body, the soul and yes, for the pocketbook too.

When Tracy spoke about how many years ago his wife insisted they put away money and not touch it so they would always have something to fall back on, it reminded me that learning to put money away was a critical part of my health plan. Tracy talked about how having a little money behind you makes you move and act differently. People are attracted to the subtle confidence you exude when you have some money. And, by saving instead of spending you have learned discipline and awareness about money. The truth is, a little money does contribute to your health. Studies have repeatedly shown that often there is a correlation between health and income, and you do need a little money behind you to keep yourself out of stress, and taking care of yourself and your family. After a certain point, more money won’t help your health, but neither can the benefits of having “a little money” be ignored. It is my belief that the true definition of success is to have both optimum health and optimum happiness, and while money won’t solve either of those critical aspects by itself, money still matters.