By Bill English, Partner
Proverbs 23.4: “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint”.
Hmmm... Are you serious?
Turn away good customers who are ready to buy my products and services? Perhaps.
Work less even though I could make more money? I think so.
Restrain my sales team? Yep.
Think about it. Here are four, good reasons to not wear yourself out to get rich.
First, we create much needed margin when we throttle our businesses and our success. As a result, we’ll have the time for the things that really matter. Those without margin usually end up crashing in one way or another or they sacrifice so much of their personhood they become a shell of who they once were. They might even burnout. So creating margin is the first good reason to throttle yourself.
Second, when we throttle our businesses and our success, we demonstrate that we love God, our families or others more than money. Some successful business owners get a taste of wealth and they are instantly hooked. They become intoxicated. They become driven by their need for money – they love it – they love profits, wealth and riches. They love the hunt. They love the kill. They pursue what they love and no matter how much they have, they always want more. Really successful people balance the value of money in their life. They value much more that which money can never buy.
Thirdly, when we throttle our businesses and our success, we show our employees respect by not expecting them to work longer and longer hours to support more and more sales. We show that we want them to have a life outside of work and we support them by making sure their workload is reasonable.
Lastly, when we throttle our businesses and our success, we show that we value wisdom and understanding more than money or riches. Have the wisdom to show restraint. It is the foolish who pursue money above all use. Wisdom says that while money is valuable, we can get too much of it. It takes wisdom to show restraint, because only the wise understand the empty and fleeting nature of wealth.
You see, the things we really want in life money can’t buy. For example…
- Money can buy a house, but it cannot buy a home.
- Money can buy a degree, but it cannot buy wisdom.
- Money can buy membership, but it cannot buy friendship.
- Money can buy a thrill, but it cannot buy happiness.
- Money can buy a doctor, but it cannot buy health.
- Money can buy fame, but it cannot buy a good reputation.
- Money can buy sex, but it cannot buy intimacy.
- Money can buy security, but it cannot buy peace.
- Money can buy position, but it cannot buy loyalty.
- Money can buy power, but it cannot buy respect.
- Money can even buy a religion, but it cannot buy a Savior.
Money can buy only cheap imitations of what we really want in life. And we’ll only find the things we really want in life by valuing more the things money cannot buy. Finding in life the things we really want is equivalent to finding true riches. So, don’t wear yourself out to get rich. Have the wisdom to show restraint.
Bill English, MA, LP, Partner, Platinum Group, works with family businesses and privately-owned businesses to resolve conflict, address leadership development and transform toxic cultures into thriving workplace environments.