Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 48. Every Dollar Counts

"Money is a reward you receive for the service you render, and the more value you offer, the greater will be your reward."

Like it, loathe it, save it or blow it—the choice is yours. But you simply cannot ignore it. Money is important—and it has few equals. When it speaks, people listen, often without interrupting. Money functions much as a sixth sense, without which you cannot make complete use of your other five. It can help you realize—or derail—your dreams. It most definitely, no pun intended, counts.

Money is said to be both a blessing and the root of all evil. Too much or too little emphasis on making and saving money can warp your perspective. The fact is that money is not the first priority in happy people's lives. Health, relationships with family and friends, career satisfaction, and spiritual growth are all more important. Still, money touches every part of everyone's life. You work hard for it. It is tied up with your deepest emotional needs for love, power, security, independence, control, and self-worth. It affects your relationships, the way you go about your everyday activities . . . everything.

Money is always moving, always on its way somewhere. What you do with it while it is in your keeping and the direction you send it in say much about you. Your treatment of and respect for money, how you make it, and how you spend it all reflect your character. The old saying may claim that "It is much easier to give than to receive," but when ...