The Connection Between Wisdom and Money
What happens from within is the key driving force
“Well an apple tree is not trying to be an oak tree but an apple tree wants to be a full-fledged apple tree. That effort is on in every life. So is it in human beings? But the problem with humanity is just this. That for every other creature, nature has drawn two lines. Within these two lines, they live and die. … if a human being hits a ceiling it gets frustrated. … That means what you call as human potential is not of any kind of measurable limit. It can go as far as you desire or as far as you have the courage to walk. … unleashing human potential. It is not about reaching the peak. It is a trajectory. … Time is running out for all of us, so it is only the energy that you can do different things with.”
From the opening explanation on reaching potential to the last few minutes where Sadhguru dives into how it’s possible for every human to experience a pleasant life, this video is filled with wisdom.
It’s filled with information that can not only help us as we navigate daily life but also in a lot of ways, our monetary life.
To piggyback on the subtitle of this post, the importance to me of the key driving force coming from within is twofold:
It’s spiritual in that our driving force is the soul within us is connected to our subconscience and a divine power above.
Our worldly wealth and how we handle our money is driven from within our transactions, our habits and how those actions either build or destroy our balance sheet.
A broken balance sheet leads to a broken financial life. Just as a broken heart (soul) leads to a broken physical life.
Just as in the opening quote, like an apple tree cannot be an oak tree, we cannot be someone else. We can desire to be but will find that is a bumpy road to travel. We must find peace and joy in being the best of our personal gifts and talents. That is all we can be and is where our most fulfilling rewards will come from. Being the best of ourselves.
Yet, when we look around we see everyone chasing the same dreams. The dreams of others, the careers of others, the lifestyle of others. To what end?
If we objectively look around, on the whole, are we not a prosperous nation with a bunch of tired and unhappy people? Doesn’t this drive home the point and symbolism of the apple and oak tree? As Saghguru points out. The US is the most prosperous place ever on earth. The place other countries and people aspire to be like. Yet, 70% of the population should be on some kind of medication. What does this tell us? This along with many other points is what’s so important. It’s what most of us miss (including myself).
How does this apply to our money and wealth?
With our money, it is not about reaching a certain number, a specific peak. Though that is how we live our lives. Aiming for a number on our path to “build wealth”; our journey. The trajectory we find ourselves on is really a collection of our habits. That is what leads us to build or destroy wealth.
This point is *not* what society tells us though. Societal wealth is about collecting things. The goal is to collect and hoard. To pretend on social media. To outwardly show the life we wish we had, not the one we do have. To ensure that you make others jealous by planting the seeds of FOMO.
However, the true purpose of wealth is as discussed. To spend our time, the limited amount we have, to use our energy to its max. That is what will lead us to a peak. A peak in life. A peak in wealth. A peak in whatever it is that uniquely drives each one of us.
Sadhguru’s framework of being a seeker is what has been massaged out of us over time. We’ve been conditioned with RSS feeds and automated everything to no longer seek.
To not think critically is not natural to our human brains, but is the exact state 70%+ find ourselves in. That is the lesson of the recent COVID years.
This state is not how we were programmed to be. The broader point, the important point, is that we find joy, growth, and lastly wealth from our desire to seek. Those that do not seek will not find. It’s guaranteed.
The state we were designed for is one where our experiences are entirely defined by us, not by someone or something else. Taking charge is the path to building wealth and living a true life. The points between roughly the 36-minute and 43-minute mark are really critical in helping us understand this. To help us realize where we are as a society.
Just turn on the news. It’s all in plain sight. One at a time, if we fix our principles and values, we’ll fix our money. If we fix our money, we’ll fix our world.