Money is a Good Servant but a Lousy Master

Money is a Good Servant but a Lousy Master

By Desmond Yeoh

Ceramic Products

Many of us think that having too much money is bad or even evil but that is not really the case. Money is neutral. What it does to our life depends on whether we make money our servant or allow it to be our master.

I had an interesting conversation with a good friend recently. A few years back, he was retrenched from his job and because of the economic condition in his country; he was unemployed for a long period of time. The amazing thing is that he found the period to be one of the best times of his life. He used the time to make positive changes in his life and when he finally went back to employment, he used that experience to build a stronger foundation for the future.

He did not have much financial pressure during the period of his unemployment because he lived below his means when he was employed. He did not upgrade his lifestyle every time he had an increase in pay. This resulted in a build up of a comfortable amount of savings. In other words, he never allowed money to become his master.

If we keep upgrading our lifestyle every time we get a promotion or increment, we will make ourselves dependent on our income and the money we earn. By living this way, money will become our master and this will be a cause of a great deal of mental suffering when we face a major bump in our life like losing our jobs. But if we live the life like this good friend of mind, that bump in our life can be transformed into something beautiful and pleasant.

I thank him for sharing his story with me. It takes a great man to share a story of a difficult time in his life in order to help others.

We should ask ourselves; what changes will make to our lifestyle if we earn say a hundred thousand dollars a month? After those changes, what will happen if we lose that income? Answering these questions honestly will determine whether money is our Master or our Servant.

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