Elon Musk once said, ”Two of the worst possible curses: You Live forever. You can have anything you want”.

Elon Musk once said, ”Two of the worst possible curses: You Live forever. You can have anything you want”.



Well that’s a non-typical statement for sure. His perspective on living forever is off but he does have first-hand experience with at least one of the two. He can literally have anything he wants. So he knows a little bit about the topic. But why does he say this? Most people wouldn’t argue with having anything they want in life. We live in a culture that glorifies success, wealth, and prosperity, and it's normal to pursue financial gain. That is true in business as well. Business and success are inextricably tied. Most business owners want to hit it big in their entrepreneurial ventures. Striving for more cash in the bank account is baked into our mindset every day we flip on the lights.

There is a dark side to money that should be carefully considered (more on that later). And Jesus has some things to say about those who make money a primary focus in their life. And Jesus was right somewhere around…hmmm…100% of the time. So starting a business simply to get rich is a terrible motivation (I know because in my old life, I tried). Conversely, you absolutely must pursue money and profits with everything you have. You really no such thing as having too much cash in business. I mean, we all want to build a robust, cash producing, wealth generating company, right? No one starts a business to make mediocre profits, grow slowly and scratch out a meager living simply to avoid the pitfalls of money. That would be weird and if that’s your perspective you might want to think twice about starting a company. So how does a business owner reconcile this tension?

I don't know about you, but a good percentage of wealthy people I know aren’t as happy as I would assume they’d be.

To be more direct, a lot of them, if you lift the hood of their lives, are trainwrecks. And that’s a head-scratcher for those looking on. They have what everyone wants, right? Cars, boats, vacations and maybe an extra house or a cabin. You know, all the cool toys you grew up wanting. Yet many of the wealthy friends I have, in moments of honesty, will tell me that not all is well on the home front. Seriously, I have lots of wealthy friends and business acquaintances that are miserable (that is not an exaggeration). Many drink too much and a good majority have some level of depression in their lives.  Here's the deal: There's a good chance making millions of dollars will ruin your life.

But why? How can that be? They’ve achieved what others dream about. The answers to that question might not be as obvious as you think.

Most people could take a pretty good shot at why a wealthy person might not be happy. You might throw out some of the obvious answers like…to much stress…not enough sleep…burning the candle at both ends…too many irons in the fire…not enough family time…etc, etc. If those come to mind you are partially correct. But those answers don’t really address the large, empty hole that many wealthy people feel in their soul. So, what is happening here? How can you achieve some of life’s biggest dreams and yet be unhappy? Or worse, watch as your life falls apart in front of you.

Here's the deal:
There's a good chance making millions of dollars will ruin your life.

Ya…I said it. A lot of people simply won’t do well with 6 or 7 zeros at the end of their bank balance. Yep…its true…they won’t. At this point you may be starting to question, maybe even rolling your eyes. Not me you say. Look, don’t shoot the messenger. Jesus said it way before I did. The whole camel through the eye of the needle ringing any bells? Well, once again, Jesus was right (big surprise). Money profoundly affects people’s lives when they come into it. Money is a powerful catalyst for change in a myriad of areas. Think about it. How many lottery winners declare bankruptcy (let me help you…70%). How many young people who get wealthy turn into dumpster fires (think pro athlete or young actor). How many Old Testament kings started out well and ended badly. How many people get a little bit of fame, and their life goes sideways. And we can all name a celebrity pastor who went off the rails or worse walked away from the faith. At this point you’re probably saying ya, but those are extreme examples. I’m never going to be famous or have a hundred million dollars. Doesn't matter.

If you find success in business and the money starts to come, you’ll be facing your own personal version of how money will influence your life. How you deal with it matters.

Look, money is so deeply rooted in our daily lives that any movement up or down in your bank account changes the lens in which you experience life. Financial success changes your perspective, your decisions, how people view you, whether you go to the latte stand or whether you drink Folgers at home, whether you fly coach or business class, whether you get leather seats or the cloth, whether you cook spaghetti or steak for dinner or whether you subscribe to the basic or the premium channels on your TV. Little by little, decision by decision, change happens (think boiling frog). But here’s the thing, these are just the symptoms. These are just the fruit on the outer limbs of the tree that makes up your life. What is happening at the root level is where the real problem lies.

So what’s the real issue? Why did Jesus bring up this whole camel and needle thing? What did he know about the human condition 2000 years ago that he wanted to make sure we get into our noggins. And why do people with money regularly become unhappy and discontented? Good questions. Here is the issue…actually a 3-part issue that makes up one consistent outcome. The root of the problem and the start of the cycle is that money will slowly, inevitably, and inconspicuously make you comfortable. Yes…comfortable. Wait what? That doesn’t sound to insidious. I know what you’re saying. You’re saying, I kinda want to be comfortable. Who doesn’t? Ok, maybe those crazy Navy Seal guys that seem to enjoy taking baths in 33-degree water on a minus 40-degree day. But me? No, I’m cool with some comfort in my life. Heck, I know for myself I rarely hunt out of a tent anymore. I kinda prefer my camper these days. So, I get it. Pursuing comfort is wired into all of us. Here’s the thing. Comfort, experienced over years, starts to rewire your brain. Comfort makes you less dangerous. Comfort makes you bored. Comfort makes you soft. Over time, the more comfort you experience the less willing you are to be uncomfortable. Your brain starts cherishing comfort and it starts expecting, if not demanding it. And by the way, this is not an overnight thing. It happens subtly over years.

I said this was a 3-part issue. So pressing on. Here is the second phase of the cycle.

The second phase is that comfort will cause you (and your brain) to develop expectations.

You develop expectations because your body likes comfort and your mind expects it and wants you to stay in the comfort zone at all times. You begin to expect that life will stay in the neat little box you’ve created for it. You expect things to go the way you like because you have the money and resources to ensure they do. If your expectations aren’t met and comfort isn’t achieved, you’ll create limitations around whatever it is that’s pulling you out of your comfort zone. Now you’re on a path to being less useful in the fight.

So here’s the third leg of the cycle. As I mentioned, once you have expectations about how life should go, you’ve set yourself up for regular disappointment. This is where things take a slightly darker turn. This is where the cycle can start to get more serious. Here’s why: Regular disappointment inevitably leads to periods of unhappiness. And make no mistake, dashed expectations that lead to disappointment are a regular occurrence on this planet. Whether your latte isn’t the right temperature or whether your car gets scratched or whether your kids go off the rails, life (and people) will disappoint you. With that, regular and consistent periods of disappointment (and unhappiness) will make you do two things. You will find yourself either throwing money at your problems or you will simply become depressed…or both. Each of these reactions can start a viscous cycle in your life. To fix the disappointment you’ll find yourself doing just about anything to regain comfort. You’ll find yourself car shopping or looking for a new toy. Or maybe if you take another vacation you’ll feel better. Maybe a new purse or a new gun. That will help right? Nope. These attempts to find the next dopamine hit actually work against you because they only serve to start the cycle all over again.

Here is where the spiral gets tighter and tighter.

What makes you uncomfortable starts to become less and less extreme. What used to be a small inconvenience becomes a major disruption to your day (remember the 192-degree latte?).

It’s an ever shrinking, ever contracting version of life that you must maintain to feel comfortable. When this happens, you will begin setting up limitations and walls around your life so that the disappointment can’t break in. And over time, slowly but surely, you look back and you’re just not the same person. And if you start throwing money at life trying to maintain happiness, you’ll find yourself with a garage full of cars you don’t drive, a second house you never use, and a closet full of clothes you never wear. And one more thing, as the years pass, you’ll find your bank balance has slowly dwindled and you’ll wonder where it’s all gone. Now you have to work harder, which means less time at home and more stress.

So there you have it. Therin lies the paradox. The unintuitive connection between money & unhappiness.

So there you have it. Therin lies the paradox. The unintuitive connection between money & unhappiness. This cycle is why so many people with money become so unhappy and often times let it ruin their lives and rob their joy. It’s a head-scratching thing to watch. Why can’t they just be happy? They have it all. But we were made for deeper satisfaction that money can’t provide. Satisfaction that can only be found elsewhere. Read on.

So now what? Should I even try to make more money? We admitted earlier that if I’m in business my only option is to shoot for the moon, striving for profits and large ones hopefully. There really is no middle ground. And if that is the case, how do I break this tension? Glad you asked. Here is the antidote. The solution for the cycle of money and unhappiness is…generosity.

Yep…good ‘ol fashion, Jesus inspired generosity. Generosity breaks the tension. Generosity redeems the whole equation. Generosity gives purpose for business success and earning wealth. Generosity puts a mission behind your money. When you start worrying less about your own comfort and more about serving others, you’ll find the true path to lasting happiness.

Jesus was right when he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. The truth is that Jesus doesn’t want you in the poorhouse. Jesus wants you to flourish.

Sin and brokenness often disrupt that, but Jesus is clear about the blessing that comes by being obedient and obedience with money is part of that. There is important work to be done and if you’ve been given resources, it’s for a purpose. There is a lot of brokenness and hurt in this world and the gospel is the antidote for that so its important to use the resources God has given us to advance the Good News. And here’s the thing, God made our world, and our world uses money to operate. While the Spirit can move in whatever way He chooses, money does facilitate gospel advancement. If you’ve been entrusted with resources (like a business), you’ll have opportunities to make an impact with that resource. If you can begin to see money the right way, you may find God begins to trust you with more.

Here is where the tension really breaks surrounding money and business. If using your business for the Kingdom is a concept that resonates with you and can you start seeing your resources as a weapon for good, then you should go and make as much money as you can. Yep…go crush it. No tension. You should work to earn huge profits. You should build your business to be the most glorious, money producing, God-honoring cash machine that it can be. That’s how you break the cycle. That’s how you redeem wealth. Jesus was the most generous man to ever walk the planet because of the joy that was set before him. When we follow his lead, you’ll find joy you didn’t know you could have. Look around your business and ask yourself, how can my business start to impact the Kingdom? What do we have (cash, talent, resources) that can move the needle. With the right lens, you’ll be surprised how much you have to offer.

God has some really special things to say about a cheerful giver and one who scatters the seed he’s been given for his purpose. Your business is part of the seed God has given you.



Don’t miss out on the thrilling and important work of being a wildly generous, radically different type of entrepreneur. You’ll never look back.