Chapter 12

Moving from ROI to ROL (Return on Life)

“Some people know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”

—Oscar Wilde

In writing about the characteristics of healthy personalities, the late Dr. Gordon Allport of Harvard fame, offered these six traits:

1. A positive concept of self.
2. Seeing value in people as human beings.
3. Enjoyment in helping others.
4. A realistic perception of the world.
5. A sense of humor.
6. A unifying philosophy of life that defines purpose for living.

I can’t help but wonder when considering these characteristics how much bearing our disposition toward money has on the health of our personalities. For example, do you have a poor self-image because you feel you don’t make enough money or manage money well? Have you ever met individuals who, rather than valuing people as humans, view relationships as stepping stones on the path to material achievement? Have you ever wanted to help someone but couldn’t afford to? Do you know anyone who is living a champagne lifestyle on a seltzer budget? Has your sense of humor been dampened by financial frustration and strain? And, finally, do you ever feel that your financial situation is keeping you from fulfilling your sense of purpose in life?

Most of us, at one time or another, can probably answer “yes” to one or more of these questions. The quality-of-life issue I’d like to focus on here is the last factor cited by Allport—a unifying philosophy of life that defines purpose. In the past decade of ...

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