In another class I'm taking, I was required to have an interview with someone as high up as possible within my work's organization. I interviewed someone just below the Director level. Within my interview, I asked how this person balanced home and church with his work role. He told me that he takes one week every year to leave the country. When he leaves the country, he doesn't check emails or take phone calls. During this week is when he really focuses on family. The rest of the year, even when on "vacation," he still checks his phone and emails. I couldn't believe it when he said it. For me, I work to provide for my family, not to fulfill my life. When I go to work, I realize it means I'm leaving my family behind. I have several people with whom I work that say, "It's so hard to take my required number of hours of vacation each year." It shocks me every time I hear it. I've often asked, "Why do you work here?" I remind them that I'm here to put food on my table and take care of my kids. I have never had a problem taking all my vacation time and have often jested that they can donate their vacation time to me.
I do work hard and I work many hours. I am a youtuber and a blogger on the SteemIt platform. Both of these are done with the intent to earn money for my family. SteemIt is more long term as I build an audience, and YouTube is more long term because once a video is made and posted, it becomes a cash machine. I never have to make the same video twice and as long as it remains relevant and interesting, it keeps earning me passive income...really passive income. I also invest in real estate, including rentals. The idea, again, is passive income. If I can fill my life with streams of passive income, I will not have to leave my family for work. Instead, I'm able to provide for my family and be with them at the same time. That's the work-life balance I look forward to; however, I also realize that Brigham Young taught that money should not sit in a bank account. He said if you have money, you should use it to build up the Kingdom of God. He suggested that if you had money in the bank, it should be used to create a business to put another saint to work for the benefit of all. We should work, but we should work wisely and provide enough that we can enjoy our families and they can enjoy us. For our children, they need a proper example, because they're most likely to follow in our footsteps and repeat what we do.
What is your attitude toward money?
ReplyDeleteMoney is a tool. It magnifies the heart of the person who has it. If you're a good person before you have money, you'll be able to do a ton of good with it. If you're bad before, you're more likely to be a really bad person with a ton of money. Money magnifies your heart.
How can your view of money affect the way you live?
I know that money represents hours worked. If my time is worth more than yours, I'll get more of it than you for the same time worked. Because I see it as a tool, I try harder to be a steward over the time I have, or in other words, over the money I have/earn. For instance, I have spent money on toll roads many times so I could save time travelling. I trade my money for my time, especially if I think my time is more valuable where I'm headed than sitting on the road.
What rules are recommended for prospering?
Make money work for you, don't be the one earning as much of the money. It takes work to get started; however, if you can get money to earn you more, you'll be taken care of. If you understand interest, you're more likely to earn it. If you don't understand it, you're likely to pay it.