Wealth is More than Money

Money will never give you the happiness that being in service to others will.

Many people have learned the hard way that living a life chasing commas (commas in your net worth) will never bring you a reward.

Many people who build careers in nearly every field, chasing dollars, end up lost, broken, and defeated.

It's as old as humankind.

The person who toils every minute of their day and life chasing the next accomplishment only to realize that whatever they did gain was meaningless.

From King Solomon, the wealthiest man in history, to Ron Carson, countless people have pursued security through financial means.

Ron Carson is the founder of the Carson Group, a registered investment advising firm serving investment clients, investment firm owners, and financial advisors.

It was founded by Ron Carson, who set out to help other families avoid the painful experience his farming family endured.

He vowed never to let bad financial decisions affect him or his future family, as had happened to his family.

At first, he set out to establish financial security through the first comma, one thousand dollars, thinking that would help me feel more secure and at ease.

But that chase led to him going after the next comma and so forth and so on.

The chase never seemed to yield the security and fulfillment that he thought it would when he first set out to do so.

The Risk of Losing it All

As we venture into a new financial landscape, rising costs have challenged many businesses and individuals alike.

We are also on the verge of the most significant wealth transfer period between generations we have experienced as a nation.

One key strategy Ron has employed for years is the use of strategic systems. He has employed systems in his personal life, including personal goal setting and systems to organize and operate his investment agency.

These systems have created a repeatable framework for advisors to assist clients and for clients to achieve personal success.

One area in which Ron didn't have a system was dealing with the trauma early in his life that drove him to seek personal financial security.

He masked it well in the pursuit of serving others, but eventually, it caught up with him when his mother passed away.

It was that moment when his marriage of over 30 years was on the rocks.  It was then that the very identity of pursuing financial security was challenged because what value was it to have all the money to provide what you wanted and needed, but the people you wanted to provide for you lost?

I've faced a similar situation.  I've faced challenges in my marriage and other relationships where my drive to find security was the very thing that caused the challenges themselves.

It was at this time that Ron sought out help.  Help for him to discover the roots of his pain and struggle.  What may seem like a new age to some, the use of psychedelic substances for greater consciousness is rooted in ancient practices.

This may not be for you, and I'm not writing about it in advocacy or abhorrence; merely that there are factors that cause us to act in ways that don't serve us or others, and until we consciously aim to discover and own those factors we will constantly seek to put a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Being A Part of Something Bigger

One central driver for the ethos of the Impact Driven Leader is that the work leaders do must be bigger than themselves.

It must be to make an impact.  If the work leaders do is about them, then the work is meaningless.

As I meet and converse with leaders who, like Ron, have a good heart and want to serve people but constantly struggle to understand the meaning of their toil, I find that it's when we accept the factors that drive us that we come to peace and find meaning.

This doesn't need to be ethereal and woo-woo. It is concrete and actionable. Ron’s story, which is similar to mine, is born out of his family's challenges in their business, driving him to pursue financial gain and understanding so he and others would never face that challenge.

My drive to serve others by improving how and why they lead others is born from my own brokenness in how I approached relationships and the benefits I saw in experiences of exemplary leadership.

We are best suited to serve others from the pain and adversity we have overcome.  The key is overcome.  Understanding its meaning and the lessons it teaches.

It's striving to be part of something bigger than ourselves by uncovering the elements that make us unique and special. We do not hide or disguise those markers but embrace them and allow that passion to spill over into everything we do.

Wealth is a mindset.  Money is a tool.  With a wealthy mindset and by attracting money through the service of others, we will all live out our purpose and find true happiness and fulfillment.

It might seem too good to be true or a little corny, but too many people who have walked the path before me and have done so prove it to be the truth.