I happened to catch the last half of the Oprah show yesterday, which was about how to handle a financial windfall. (This was a rerun show from 2006.) They had a few experts sharing tips for handling money responsibly and so on - but they also had a few guests that shared horror stories about receiving large sums of money and then blowing it all.
One guest that interested me the most was named Ted Rodrigue. He was a homeless man that a filmmaker discovered. They wanted to follow him around and document his life on the streets. Then the filmmaker got another idea: What would happen if a homeless person received a windfall of $100,000 in cash? Would it turn his life around?
The filmmaker placed a briefcase full of cash in a dumpster that Ted searched daily for returnable cans and bottles. When Ted found the briefcase and opened it up, there was $100,000 in cash, along with a note that said something like, “What would a homeless person do with $100,000?” Then the film crew followed him around and documented his journey through newfound wealth!
Can you guess what Ted did with that money?
He rented an apartment (but still slept on the floor because he was used to it from his years sleeping on the hard ground!). He bought new cars for a couple of people, and a brand-new truck for himself that cost $34,000. He gave away a lot of money, and got married (they didn’t elaborate on who he married or how long he’d known her).
Sounds wonderful, right? Except for the fact that Ted didn’t look at the long-term. He didn’t plan for the future. He said afterwards to Oprah, “$100,000 seemed like such a large amount of money, I figured I was set for life.” He didn’t get a job. He didn’t set up any kind of savings or investments. He blew through the $100,000, lost the apartment, lost his truck, his wife left him when the money ran out, and now he’s back to living on the streets. In fact, he’s even worse off now because during the time when he had money, he got his first credit card - and now OWES money!
Believe it or not, Ted was given free access to financial planners and therapists when he first received the money. He could have sought guidance about how to handle it, but he chose not to. He told Oprah later, “No one was going to tell me how to live my life.”
I found the whole story so SAD!!!! As this man talked, you could just see his “lack mentality” shining through. Some of it was revealed in the things he said, but mostly it just emanated from him - his whole demeanor said “poverty” — and I don’t mean the amount of money he has or doesn’t have. I mean he has a “poverty mind-set.” (I used to have one too, so I’m very familiar with it!)
And this brings me to the point of this post, which you may have already guessed - MONEY (or lack of money) is NOT THE PROBLEM.
So many people in the world believe that if only they had more money, everything in their lives would be great. Relationships would be healed, their home lives would improve, they’d be happier and healthier, and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Abundance and wealth are actually the end result of inner healing. (Not just monetary abundance, either. All kinds of abundance spring from a wealth mind-set.)
The filmmaker said something interesting to Oprah when she asked him why he decided to make this documentary. He said, “I wanted to see what happens when you throw money at a problem. Does it go away, or get worse?”
“Throwing money” at a problem, what a GREAT way to put it! Throwing money at poverty doesn’t erase the poverty. Throwing money at illness doesn’t create wellness. Throwing money at ANYTHING just isn’t the answer.
I hope to God that Oprah educated Ted after the show. If anyone understands the power of an abundant mind-set, she does! I hope she spent some time helping him see that his problem is not lack of money.
What DOES create abundance? For me:
- Gratitude
- Passion
- Purpose
- Contributing value to the world
- Positive expectations
- Positive visualizations
I’ve got a whole collection of things I do on a daily basis to bring greater prosperity into my life. Interestingly, these techniques give me much more than monetary gains - they help me feel complete and happy! My life has done a complete 360 degree turn from where it was even a few years ago. And it’s ALL because I finally understood that I needed to heal the wounds from within, rather than looking for a Band-Aid.
Love to hear your thoughts on this one! What has brought more abundance into your life? What hasn’t? Have you ever held erroneous beliefs about money and wealth? Do you still think that more money would make you happier?
Wendy
CreationThoughts.com
WingsfortheHeart.com
