Day 7: Clarifying What Matters Most – to You 📽‼️
Welcome to Day 7 of “30 Days to Make Your Money Count.” Today, we embark on a journey of self-discovery and clarity as we explore the importance of defining what matters most to you.
“I don’t want to die for nothing. I want to die for something.” —Jack Bauer, 24
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Click Here to Download Chapter 3 Powered by Purpose
Some time ago, I watched one of the most amazing interviews I’ve ever seen. A national conference scheduled U2’s Bono to talk about his commitment to relieving the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. To be honest, I thought he’d be the typical, self-absorbed rock star who mouthed a few platitudes but really didn’t have his heart in it. I was wrong. Really wrong. With crystal clarity, Bono explained that his celebrity status is “insane,” but he wants to use it to accomplish something noble. He said that the church hasn’t been doing its part. He isn’t upset with Christ, he explained, but with Christians who claim to know Jesus but who don’t care about the things Jesus cared about. Bono quoted the passage in Matthew 25 about feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners. In these verses, Jesus said that when we care for “the least of these my brothers,” we are actually doing it for him. The sign of a true Christian, Bono insisted, is the commitment to take action to relieve suffering. He has devoted his fortune, his time and energy, and his reputation to the monumental task of wiping out the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and he’s already making a profound difference.
As I watched the interview, I was struck with the biting insight that God has given me tremendous resources, too (not as much as Bono, but plenty), and I can choose to use everything I am and everything I own to make a difference in other people’s lives. When that interview began, I certainly didn’t expect the words of a rock star to penetrate my soul and inspire me to action. Bono’s interview was the tipping point to encourage me to write this book to help others connect their resources to what matters most.
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We don’t have to have great wealth or a worldwide reputation to make a difference. All we need is heart. My wife Connie has been an elementary school teacher for 20 years, and her heart is in tune with Bono’s and Jesus’. Every year, I watch her devote herself to those young students. She genuinely cares for them as little people with hopes and hurts, dreams and fears. After 20 years, she could put herself on autopilot, but she doesn’t. She still prepares for each day like it’s the most important day in those children’s lives. Over and over, I’ve seen her cry because a child is having difficulties at home, and Connie empathizes with that child’s pain. Parents tell me how much their children love Connie, and they talk about how their kids love to go to school and learn because Connie loves them and makes school an adventure for them. Do you remember your kindergarten teacher? These kids will remember theirs, and many of them will do a little better in school and in life because an obscure kindergarten teacher cared enough to pour her life and her love into them.
Some people may be reading this book and feel a bit frustrated by now. They’re thinking, We’re in the third chapter, but we haven’t gotten into budgeting and investing yet. When is this guy going to get where I want to go?
If you’re feeling frustrated that we aren’t moving faster, I want to assure you that we’ll get to all the details of financial management you can handle. But I’ve found that most people’s choices with finances only make sense when they’re moving in a clear, purposeful direction. If you try to make those decisions without a sense of purpose for your life, you’ll be easily sidetracked and end up confused and empty. Defining or clarifying your sense of purpose is an essential element—actually, the essential element—in financial planning.
The needle on the compass of your life directs everything you are, everything you do, and everything you have.
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