ReFinance

If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of his life. BILLY GRAHAM

If you want to put yourself in a position to make a good decision concerning finances, start by learning to put the value of things into perspective. People tend to value money and things over what’s really important in life: other people. To know whether your attitude about money and possessions is what it should be, ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I preoccupied with things?

2. Am I envious of others?

3. Do I find my personal value in possessions?

4. Do I believe that money will make me happy?

5. Do I continually want more?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you need to do some soul-searching. Materialism is a mind-set. There’s nothing wrong with possessing money or nice things. Likewise, there’s nothing wrong with living modestly. Materialism is not about possession—it’s an obsession. I’ve known materialistic people with no money and nonmaterialistic people who possess lots of money. Haven’t you?

John C. Maxwell, Jumpstart Your Priorities: A 90-Day Improvement Plan (New York City, NY: Center Street, 2016).