Photo by Terricks Noah on Unsplash

The Key Message

Getting back to our controversial discussion…where were we again?

Oh yes, how to master the tool we call money.

The point to remember is this. You must respect money for how “not so easy” it is to make –and for how it is vital to our quality of life. However, we must not allow ourselves to be slaves to it. Needless to say, if you become money’s slave, it will absolutely control your life and you’ll be nothing more than the proverbial donkey …Motivated by either the carrot or the stick –the carrot and the stick both being money in this case.

In simple terms, you will only be motivated to do things in pursuit of money -or by the fear of losing or not having it. In the latter scenario, you will be forced to act against your will and do things you don’t really want to do. And of course the compelling persons or forces are likely to have more money and power than you.

How to Fight Back

One way to take back some of your power from money is to develop the rare habit of saying no to it occasionally. Especially if the transaction involves you having to be disrespected or humiliatingly rolled through the dirt before you are paid –or doing things that don’t sit well with your conscience. In those instances, the money is not worth it.

Saying no to money when the situation calls for it makes you more powerful than you realize. Particularly because for a moment, you actually become priceless (…like the way your loved one once told you that you are lol). For in that moment, you cannot be bought. You are consequently priceless in that sense of the word.

The Answers are “Under the Sun”

There is a vital lesson to be picked up from the movie titled “A Raisin in the Sun,”  which starred Sean “Diddy” Combs (I don’t know if he still goes by that name. Over the years that man has changed his name the way a girl with mood swings changes her mind).

Anyway in one scene of the movie, Diddy (because that was his name the last time I kept tabs on him) teases the life out of his mother. Diddy tells his mother about all the dumb and foolish things he would do (and the toes he would lick) in acceptance of a monetary offer for their house. The offer for the house came from people that the movie depicted as somewhat bad, racist or disrespectful men.

Nonetheless, Diddy’s canny mother went on to put his statements and sentiments to the test. As the men with the offer are set to arrive at their house, she calls Diddy’s very young son into their presence. She then tells the lad to watch and learn a very valuable life lesson from how his father would handle the would-be purchasers.

Where are You in the Vital Moments?

To cut the story short, when push came to shove… Diddy did none of the crazy silly things that he had teased his mother he would do -and respectfully said no to the men’s handsome offer.

To put it simply, Diddy’s mother made him realize one thing. No amount of money was worth being badly disrespected for -especially in the presence of his own son. (Yup! Fear mothers -they drive their points across in simple but brutal ways). All in all, when it mattered, Diddy made the morally correct decision and said no to the money.

Can You Say No to $50 Million Dollars?

(Let me write the amount in numbers so that you see just how many zeros that is lol! There you go…. $50,000,000.00. You are welcome! *grin*

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

A $50,000,000.00 Money Story

Another relatively famous money story that comes to mind is that of Dave Chappelle. In case you don’t know who Dave Chappelle is, he is one of the most successful comedians in history. In fact, Chappelle is even considered to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) by most comedians and comedy fans.

Although Chappelle is now widely regarded as being controversial, he is also famous for making a rather strange decision at a crucial point of his career. That decision was … (wait for it) … He decided to walk away from a $50 million dollar contract with Comedy Central for his popular show titled “Chappelle’s Show”.

Yup! The man literally left the money on the table and took a plane to South Africa. How many people can do that?

Logical or Crazy?

What do you think about Dave Chappelle’s decision? Let me know in the comments. We’ll consider the logic –or the madness of his decision in the next article. Like I said in the last article, there is a very thin line between genius and madness.

But I don’t want to overwhelm you with an overdose of your knowledge vitamin for the day. This article need not be any longer. So see you in the next article.

Peace!