The Hopeful Career
#4 Attaining True Financial Independence
by Dér Stépanos
Dingilian, Ph.D. © 2007
Who does not want to be financially independent? Of course everyone! However, who truly attains financial independence? Those who have faith and hope from within! Financial independence is not necessarily having more money than one can use. Rather, financial independence is living a life whose meaning neither depends on spending money nor can be bought by money!
Having a great deal of money does not mean that we are happy in life. Yes, we may have a great deal of money, and yet, the only interests that we have may also depend on spending the money that we earn. We may have worked so hard at earning and accumulating money that we may not have any other interests or meaningful relationships. In such situations, we have no choice but to try to earn even more money, and that makes us even more dependent on financial resources. Certainly we need to be responsible and earn the necessary income to take care of ourselves and our family. In such situation money is only a means but not an end in itself. Yet, if we place ourselves in a situation where we have no interests other than earning money in order to pay bills, then our career becomes monotonous and discouraging; we dread going to work, and stop being hopeful and creative!
Having a hopeful career means that we find our life’s meaning beyond our career. Our career is a means towards a greater reality - be that getting closer to God, taking care of our family, or helping others. Again, certainly our career is an important part of our life, but if all we had in life is our career, then we become imprisoned and even spiritually choked by its limitations. We sense hope only when we realize that our life’s meaning and happiness cannot be bought and is not solely dependent on our income and assets. We have a sense of hope because our life’s meaning is dependent on the abilities that God has bestowed upon us, and the relationships we form. No one can take these away from us, and it is this assurance that gives us the true sense of hope and financial independence!
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