The Tsar was ruler of a 1/3 of the Earth. His family fortune was vaster than any other royal family. Yet his daughters were happiest sleeping on fold up cots and taking cold showers. And on July 16th 1917, they would all be killed by Bolsheviks and all their fortune could not save them.

Money is a tool, but it's a tool one will have to learn no to overbias if one ever plans to really get anywhere.

Some folks spend lifetime after lifetime focused on one thing: money.

Be they rich or poor it makes no difference. They have developed an overbias:

Having money is GOOD.
Not having money is BAD.

The truth? The truth is it makes ABSOLUTELY not a whit of difference.

As soon as one loses the bias, money is like toilet paper - it's there when you need it and has no lasting value.

For all tom many money enslaves them. It becomes the purpose of their lives. And after several decades, to those with the epiphany of awareness, comes the awareness that the multiple mansions, cars and possessions own you rather than vice-versa. They start sucking up time and energy and effort and suddenly one has an urge to get rid of them. "Sell it!"

One can only live in one room at a time. Living in a hundred and fifty room house or a one room apartment makes no difference other than the amount of stuff you can fill in it. And when you move from a mansion - it's a nightmare. What one used to be able to do oneself and maybe with a few family or friends becomes impossible. One has to hire movers and lifters and specialists. One has to have car transporters come and load up ones vehicles. One can't mow one's own lawn - it's way too big. One needs a gardener, and a tree trimmer and a pool guy and a bi-yearly repaint. One can't keep all one's cars clean so a detailer stops by once a week with a 5 man crew.

But one can only drive one car at a time. And even though walking into one's custom built garage and seeing shiny, expensive machines is a thrill for a few years - the thrill wears off. Getting complements, grimaces, or averted eyes from fellow motorists soon gets tiresome and creating envy or enmity just by pulling up to a stoplight or to fill your tank also becomes a burden. And none but a few realize the burden of such toys and why they soon lose their appeal. The mansion, which one had to spend so

"Sell it!"

So after the epiphany one sells the McMansion, half of the cars, donates 1000s of volumes to libraries and charities, one feels less burdened. One has more time and less obligations and the dozens of tiny burdens that filled one's day.

One feels like one is reclaiming one's soul.

But you can't explain this to folks who still overbias money. They are on a quest and they don't realize that their destination is not where they really want to go.

Success is another misunderstood aspect of life. To some it means fame, recognition and to others power or prestige. The wiser among us realize it means simply peace of mind.

Unfortunately, this is an impossible gift to give or receive and no amount of money or success can buy it.

Wisdom, love, caring and humor help one arrive at this truly desirable position. Yet for each the formula is different.

;-)