Whoever said “money can’t buy happiness” didn’t have either of those. To be fair, love and health do rank higher than money. No arguing against that. But although money can’t guarantee you’ll have love or health, being broke will surely push the other two away.
Those two things require time, which enough money can free up for you.
You see, money is not material; it is spiritual. A measure of how in tune you are with the Universe.
Because the Universe wants you to have a lot. Only by having a lot can you give a lot back.
And to have a lot you need to tap into the most scarce resource on this planet: courage.
As I mentioned in my book, the Universe has an abundance of everything—except courage.
And for this reason, courage is the most valuable thing on Earth. Someone with lots of courage will soon find themselves with a lot of money, even if by accident.
When you’re courageous, those around you sense it, and they’ll want to tap into it too. They’ll need it more than money. They’ll need it just to keep going, so they’ll gladly trade their money for a bit of it.
At moments in the past, I’ve repelled money because my spirit wasn’t right. I was hoarding myself and my talents. I was not facing my fears.
For example, I used to think that being smart meant success was a given. So I focused on growing my smarts and waiting for money to arrive. It never came.
Because my smarts didn’t lead to action. It lead to overthinking, and overthinking shrank my courage.
My spirit was shrinking instead of expanding. So my money was also shrinking instead of growing.
What the Universe really wants is for people to raise their hands. It wants you to say “Me, I’ll do that…”
“I’ll take that on.”
“I’ll take responsibility for that.”
And most importantly “I’ll make that decision.”
Think about it: What is the real job that powerful people have? They make decisions. But quickly. That’s what they do all day, just make decisions with incomplete information.
And if it doesn’t work out, it’s on them. They take the blame.
That’s scary. Not everyone is spiritually ready for that. Which is why I say that money isn’t material, it is spiritual.
If your spirit isn’t right you’re not accepting responsibility. You’re passing the blame.
But when your spirit is right you’re saying “it’s on me. I did my best, it just didn’t work this time. Next time I’ll get it right.”
That’s it.
It’s a one word difference. And not even a full word. Take away one letter and flip the other two.
Go from “It’s not me” to “It’s ON me.”
That simple shift from “It’s not me” to “It’s on me” will drastically change your money situation.
“It’s on me” cures your spirit.
“It’s on me” means you’re fighting your demons and facing your fears.
“It’s on me” grows your courage by a liiiitle bit each time.
When the Universe finds a person who says “it’s on me” it smiles at them. It says “here’s more.”
More money. And more problems like Biggie said. But what else is there? As humans we were given bigger brains than other animals for a reason. Our brain is simply a problem-solving machine. If we don’t use it, we lose it.
You see now, it’s evolutionary. When monkeys needed to climb trees they were given thumbs.
When humans needed to survive in the wild they were given bigger brains.
So if your bank accounts aren’t looking great ask yourself “am I saying ‘It’s on me’ often enough?
Am i solving enough problems for my tribe?
The masses aren’t rich because they’re simply not solving enough problems. They’re consuming the solutions of the problems that others have solved. They might feel like they’re solving lots of problems, but most of these problems are self-imposed. They’re meaningless drama.
Money is a gauge of your spirit. It is a measure of your mind and soul. A measure of how in tune you are to the reality of this world. How much you’re serving those around you.
I saw this first-hand when I went from working at a place where people said “It’s not me” to a place where people say “It’s on me.” And for me that’s made all the difference.
To have money you first have to create a rich soil inside of you. You don’t get rich and then magically adopt a rich personality. You first have to become rich inside, then you will naturally do the things that a rich person does, and after this you will have the wealth of a rich person.
Be, then do, then have. That’s the proper order.
Which is why many people can get money, but few people keep it long-term. If your spirit isn’t right, the money goes as quickly as it came.
Rich families become dynasties only when the kids adopt the same wealthy mindset as the adults who made the fortune originally.
Cornelius Vanderbilt amassed a fortune starting in the 1840s through his steamboat and railroad empire. On his deathbed in 1877 his last words were “keep the money together.”
But his children didn’t listen. They became consumers instead of producers. And by 1940 all of their mansions had been torn down, auctioned off, or sold.
Their spirit didn’t keep it together. They were saying “It’s not me” instead of “It’s on me.”
But the ideas that built this modern world were all put there by someone who said “It’s on me.”
Steve Jobs and his team gave us this phone that you’re probably listening on right now. He was a person who said “It’s on me.” And then he followed through. At the time of his death his net worth was $11 Billion dollars.
New Yorkers will be familiar with the name Robert Moses. He essentially built the infrastructure of our city as we know it today. He designed our entire highway system, the Triborough Bridge, the Battery Park Tunnel, and many of the biggest public parks. He was an expert at drafting local laws and manipulating them to fit his vision. He was by no means a nice guy, and many accuse him of being racist.
Then how did he get so much power? Because he raised his hand when others wouldn’t. At one point he ran 12 different government organizations. No one stopped him from taking all this power, everyone just sat on the sidelines and said “it’s not me.”
But entrepreneurs and authors and artists and community leaders say “it’s on me.” Then the world bends to their will. They become leaders and owners. And shortly after that, the world rewards them with a lot of money.
Money follows those who create the inner condition to attract it. They become a person who is rich on the inside, which gives them no choice but to do the things that rich people do, and eventually they end up having the things that rich people have.
Not following that order means failure, because it focuses on the material side of money first: aka getting the figures without having the mindset.
It short-circuits the process. It short-circuits your wealth.
Bill Walsh is one of the greatest NFL coaches ever. He coached the 49ers for 10 seasons and won 3 super bowls in those 10 years. He left the team in such good shape that they won a fourth one the next year after he retired. He had a saying “the score takes care of itself.” This means that his players should focus on the process, not the final outcome. If they followed the program to a tee, without looking at the big board, the score would end up in their favor most of the time.
I tell you the same thing: wealth is made on the inside first, not outside. A broken philosophy will keep you broke. But fix your inner soil and the fruits naturally grow. Money is not material, it is spiritual.
