Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 459 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

10 Things That Money Can’t Buy

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 459 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate us to live rich and satisfying lives this week. Today let us explore “10 Things Money Can’t Buy.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Each evening as we are unpacking boxes, cleaning cupboards, and clearing closets, we continue to decide what we will keep and what we will give away. This moving project will certainly keep us occupied for several weeks to come. We are taking our time and doing our best to enjoy the process.

I am recording this before the weekend, but my plan for the weekend is to consolidate the items in our garage so that we can have another stall for our car. It is an open five stall garage fashioned after a carriage house, but we have lawn equipment, a small tractor, and other outdoor items stored in it. We will also be going to church with my Dad and celebrating his 86^th birthday on Sunday. God has been gracious to us as Dad is still in relatively good health and certainly good spirits. Being able to invest time with Dad is always a blessing. Time together with those that we love is one of the many things that no amount of money can buy. So the title of our trek for today is…

10 Things That Money Can’t Buy

Birthdays and holidays are excellent occasions to reflect on our priorities and to focus on what is truly valuable in our lives. On our trek today, we will explore unique opportunities and make an introspective analysis of our real values, principles, and beliefs. One of the best ways to gain wisdom is to take advice from those individuals who show wisdom in their lives. For each of the 10 things that money can’t buy, I will use a quote from a wise person to allow us to reflect appropriately.

# 1. Health

Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. – Dalai Lama

# 2. Love

If you want to distinguish between those who love you unreservedly, and those who love your money, try losing all your money. – Jordi Alemany

# 3. Happiness

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants. – Benjamin Franklin

# 4. Integrity

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. – Douglas Adams

# 5. Respect

Money is your means of survival. The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men’s vices or men’s stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment’s or a penny’s worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you’ll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money? – Ayn Rand

# 6. Peace of Mind

Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none. – Richard M. DeVos

# 7. Ethics

It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy. – George Lorimer

# 8. Education

Humans aren’t as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth. So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, that were ‘reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.’ – Neil deGrasse Tyson

# 9. Intelligence

The bottom line is, I didn’t return to Apple to make a fortune. I’ve been very lucky in my life and already have one. When I was 25, my net worth was $100 million or so. I decided then that I wasn’t going to let it ruin my life. There’s no way you could ever spend it all, and I don’t view wealth as something that validates my intelligence. – Steve Jobs

# 10. Spiritual Enlightenment

Money can buy a house, but not a home. It can buy a bed, but not sleep. It can buy a clock, but not time. It can buy a book, but not knowledge. It can buy blood, but not health, so you see; money is not everything in life. – Unknown

1 Timothy 6:17 sums it up best, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.”

As we end our trek for today, invest some time reflecting on all the wonderful and special things in life that you can’t buy with money. Focus on those items and then the amount of money that you need will always be available.

Tomorrow’s short trek is part of our Wisdom Unplugged series that we are now hiking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These 3-minute wisdom supplements will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise throughout the entire week. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our trek for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person and inviting them to come along with us each day. I would challenge you today to take just one precept that we learn today in Proverbs and commit yourself to applying it to your life.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!