Love is Wealth

Do you know your purpose in life? Have you figured out yet why you have been put on this beautiful big blue and green speck in a million galaxies?

I think it’s safe to say that Nick Vuijcic sure does. Here is a man, born without arms and legs, that overcame all obscurity and even overcame depression and suicidal thoughts to become one of the biggest motivational speakers on earth. Probably one of the highest paid ones too, but let’s not get into that right now.

On Saturday, a friend and I were lucky enough to receive tickets to watch this man. I was fascinated by his agility, his way of moving around – at one stage whispered to my friend that he must have a very strong core – and his sense of humour. Despite being faced with adversity, he rose above all his stumbling blocks to become an inspiration to others. He is a husband and a father – this man, who was told that he would become nothing in life.

It just made me realise that in this life, we have so much to be grateful for, but yet also so much to learn.

Nick made us do an exercise of writing down the three most important things in your life.

My notes looked like this – I added two more, because while other people have the ability to think more broadly, I just thought singularly:

1.    Flip
2.    Faith
3.    Mom
4.    Mila – my staffie, guys
5.    Health

Nick’s list encompassed faith, family and mission. “My mission and purpose doesn’t need to look like yours, my dreams don’t need to look like yours and you don’t have to look like me.”

He said that if you look at the world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by its problems – violence, human trafficking, everything, xenophobia, murders, financial struggles – but it all needed to be seen as a form of growing.

He said that fear and pride formed some of the biggest challenges to reach your goals and alluded that you needed to remain centered, accept yourself.

Family is everything

Nick also said that one of the greatest things his parents ever told him was the value of family. “Family to me is so important. My dad had three jobs. . .yet, he always had time to come home and make me feel like one of my best friends in the world.”

T"here are some people who sacrifice their entire life to give their children opportunities they never had. On one level that is admirable, on the other level I’ve seen people go way far, to the point where they forget to be father’s and husbands and I don’t expect my son to be a good husband to his wife and loyal to his wife until his own father shows loyalty."

Now he made some points that I agreed with very strongly and others that I couldn’t agree with at all.

“Family is more important that education.”

Really though? Can you provide for your family if you are not educated? I’m not referring to buying your kids the latest Playstation or having the biggest tv, but providing them the most basic structures - a roof over their head, a warm bed to sleep in, a full tummy – aren’t these all privileges of education?

The second statement he made is that family was more important than money. Now this I agree with. If you are going to chase Mammon, instead of building a relationship with your wife, your siblings, your children, then you are on the wrong path. What use is money if your time is always robbed?

He also said that men usually felt that their worth was determined by the amount of money they brought home. “Men, I don’t care how much money you have. What matters is how you speak to your wife and your children.”

If the world wasn’t so money centered, what would it look like today? Would people be able to determine their purpose and their value more easily? If money didn’t exist, would the moral fibre of society not be strengthened?

If anything, this speech made me realise that it was important to find that balance – why care what other people drive, or what brand of clothing they wear, how much their perfumes cost?

WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT THESE THINGS?

If you have love – if you are loved and you love in return – you are the richest human being on the planet.

Love is wealth.