I'm reminded of a comment I made with someone on Hive about how money produces a change in people. I shared the message from a documentary I watched about a woman who inherited $350,000.000. What struck me was that here we have a person who should have been over the Moon and content with her sudden fortune. There was a tour of the beautiful home she lived in as well as all of the "things" available to provide a comfortable living.

Far from being content, she was if anything filled with worry and dread. The thoughts that consumed her daily, was the concern that she would somehow lose it all. Now I don't know about you, but I can't imagine how in the world you could lose that amount of money unless you were involved in dodgy investments. This was not the case here. The funds were salted away in typical conservative stocks and bonds, artwork etc. Yet, her fingers caressed those worry beads like they were going out of style.

In my life, I've had the occasion to talk to a number of people who "made it" and they all share a similar refrain. They think their wealth is going to somehow be taken away from them. This leads to an obsession with earning ever more in order to stay ahead of some financial specter haunting their dreams.

What ensues is a race that can never be won. One man told me: "Once you have 1 million, you want 2, then 4, and on and on." So what this means is that they never have the satisfied feeling of being full after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Imagine living like that, never happy or satisfied, while being filled with worry. Like living life in an open-air panic room.

Chasing a mirage

Not long ago, my boss died of a brain aneurysm after contracting pancreatic cancer. He had the same issues with money that the others did, but his problems were compounded by another factor which drove him. He had a group of friends, many of whom were wealthier than he was. They had a contest where every 90 days, they'd compare how much income each group member generated, and the one with the most was declared the winner.

I can still remember him hiring me and saying that me and the other workers had to help him win. Added to that, was his other race in "Keeping up with the Joneses." If a group member bought a new vacation home, all of the others felt compelled to do so as well. Thus he started accumulating assorted beach houses, cars, multiple boats, etc. all of which had to be maintained, thereby requiring even more of a cash infusion. Since he was near the lower end of the totem pole, it was a competition he could never win.

The stress of all this ended up aging him prematurely. We would have long talks where I told him just to let the contest go. But he sought the increase in status that his membership in this club brought him. Despite all entreaties from myself and the family, he ran that race until he couldn't.

Life's lessons

This was a life lesson for me, and seeing that up close made me avoid propelled into the abyss as well. Of course, the likelihood of me reaching those financial heights are remote (crypto possibly?). but I've seen enough to arm me with a defense if it should ever come to that.

I've always been the type of person who's happy to see someone do well. There was a story in the news about a 22-year-old who was down to his last dollar. He'd had a rough life and decided to buy a lottery ticket with the buck he had left. Unbelievably, he won a cool 2 million dollars. We were all thrilled to hear that something good had finally happened to him. I truly hoped that he ruled his fortune, instead of his fortune ruling him.

George Foreman once told an audience of professionals caught in the rat race: "You've got to keep earning!" But I believe there has to be an awareness of hopping on that conveyor belt and chasing the almighty dollar. To what end? Is there a noble goal involved like setting up your loved ones or solving a problem in the community? If not, then we're just running in place and one day we'll be out of time. I've said it before, we all have only so many trips around the Sun in each of us. Instead of being a rat in a race, I'd rather be a man with a life.