If Money Could Talk…
By Reggie Brooks
Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not your miracle or your savior. I’m only a medium of exchange to be used as a tool to create your chosen lifestyle. I am not the root of all evil as some of you have believed over the years- I am vital to a prosperous society. Without me, mankind would probably do no better than a primitive agricultural society.
So many people all over the world equate me with power, probably because powerful people covet me. Want to know a secret? I’m sort of like a magnifying glass in that I have a tendency to make an individual more of what they are. Let me explain:
John Rosen of Culver City, California was a kind man. He and his wife and 3 kids attended church and contributed as regularly as their meager income would allow. John worked as a bus driver in Los Angeles and his wife Cathy was a homemaker. Having a family with 3 children assured the Rosens of serious financial challenges. Even so, John was known to give his last to someone whom he deemed as being more needy than he and his family. Everyone knew that John was a giving man.
John received a call one morning to announce that a wealthy relative had died, and that there was a very large sum of money that would be coming his way. The Rosens were saddened by the loss of the relative and happy about the impending financial windfall. It was obvious that their lives were going to make a change.
When the time came, the Rosens received a check of over $750,000! “WOW”! They were elated! They paid their bills off and got a new car. They gave some money to the church and they made some wise investments. Then they did something that I applaud – they looked around, first within their family, then outside the family, and they identified various friends and relatives that were in dire need of the Rosens financial support. Within the first 3 months of receiving that check, not only did they help themselves, they also gave necessary financial support to seven other families! They helped to make the lives of those seven other families better! Receiving that money made them more of what they originally were- a very loving and giving family.
Then there was Bart from New Mexico. Bart was a selfish, self centered man that had no time for the needs of others. Bart was also broke. He was a very poor manager of his funds, which was the reason he was broke. Bart had very few friends and no immediate family to care about. His negative attitude insured distance between him and his peers.
Bart needed to do a little grocery shopping one day, so he got into his pickup truck and drove over to the grocery store. As he pulled into a parking place he spotted a wallet on the ground. Bart jumped out of his truck, swooped the wallet up and got back into his truck. He was so excited about hopefully finding some money that he hands shook while he opened the wallet. $400! That’s what he found in the wallet! Oh, of course there were credit cards, business cards, pictures and identification in the wallet, but Bart wasn’t interested in any of that. They were introduced to the trash can as he approached the store.
He noticed something else as he approached the store. There were a couple of guys standing at the side of the store that got Bart’s attention. When Bart approached the two guys, they told him that they had a brand new 50 inch High Definition TV set worth over $2500, and they were willing to sell it right now for $600. Bart looked in the box and was thrilled to see the TV of his dreams. Bart had the extra $200 in his pocket for the TV, and he had the desire to make a killing of a deal. He told the two guys that he just needed to go into the store and pick up a few items and he’ll buy the TV when he comes out of the store.
Bart loaded the box onto his truck and sped home to enjoy his new toy. When he got home, he got his brother to help him with the box. They got the box to the living room and began to open it. Bricks! That’s what was in the box. Bricks that were meticulously bound and placed in the box! $600 worth of bricks! Is there a moral? How about, “If you are looking to steal, you’ll probably be stolen from. If you’re looking to take advantage of someone, you probably be taken advantage of.”
I’m only a medium of exchange to be used as a tool to create your chosen lifestyle. Use me, but don’t love me. I am not the root of all evil. The love of me is the root of all evil and will cause the weak to do evil things to procure me. When you use me, I will provide you with great things to enhance your life. When you misuse me, I will make your life a living hell. The choice is yours.
Reggie Brooks
Reggie Brooks, is an international speaker, author and educator, dedicated to inspiring others to achieve personal success through real estate investment. He is also the #1 Vacant, Abandoned & Distressed Property Specialist in North America.
Having risen above a life of poverty, he has achieved what many people consider to be impossible. He went from making $36,000 per year at the local telephone company, to making over $40,000 per month in his real estate business. Today, Reggie delivers his personal philosophies for success at major business venues and expositions throughout the United States. Reggie attributes his success to faith, dedication to success, and to the invaluable coaches he has had along the way.
