Some people get kind of weird around money. They think it’s dirty or wrong. Some people believe you can only get it by taking it away from other people.
Here is a refreshing take on what money represents. I’ve been rereading Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s book, “Thou Shalt Prosper.” He clearly maintains that money simply represents the value that you bring to other people. Naturally, all of us, every person, is valuable. But how much value are we bringing to other people?
Many people falsely believe that they can only be helping other people if they are doing so as a volunteer or donating to a nonprofit organization. One measure, though, of the value that we are bringing to the lives of other people is the money we are paid for the products or services we provide. Rabbi Lapin suggests that it is difficult to assess the value of our contribution if we are only volunteering. If we are getting paid, on the other hand, it is far easier to quantify the value of the contribution we have made.
Take, for example, my oldest son Nathan. Until last fall when his schedule changed when he started high school, he had a small business where it was easy to quantify the value he was bringing to other people. He provided the service of “substitute” to my business networking group members. At first, they paid him five dollars for showing up in their place when they were absent and delivering their 60-second infomercial. After a little while, some members encouraged him to raise his rates to $10. He was providing more value than he was originally charging. Now, as the school year is winding down, Nathan is gearing up for his substitute business to flourish over the summer. It’s a beautiful thing to see value exchanged for money.
I felt compelled to write this particular blog because I want people to have a healthy view and understanding of money. It is perfectly good and right to get paid for providing something of value. You do not have to do all your good works in this world for free or pay someone else to do it through a nonprofit organization.
How do you feel about getting money in exchange for your time, energy and expertise when you are using them to positively impact other people?
