© Elliot Essman 2005. All rights reserved.

These pages contain the complete 2005 revised text of Building Yourself, public speaking trainer Elliot Essman's guide to living the successful life.

Elliot Essman Public Speaking Training
Building Yourself Table of Contents
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• A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Ecclesiastes 10:19

It's your choice how you think about money. If you put too much stress on getting it you probably won't enjoy life very much (and you might not end up earning very much). If you hold it in contempt, it won't like you very much either. You'll live a dull life and your disdain for money will impress no one. What you want to develop in yourself is a rational approach to the subject of money.

Money for our purposes represents two things. The first is the value of our work. The second is the value of other people's work, which dictates what we can buy with our own work. The more value we're able to put into our work, the more money we make. Thus we're able to trade our valuable work for more of other people's work.

The complainers—the people who sit and wait—don't understand how money and work are related. They see work as a constant unpleasant chore. They see money as something they must constantly fear not having enough of. But you see work and money in a totally opposite way. Of course you relax when you need to, but, in essence, work is life. You're doing what you love to do anyway. Retire? Are you kidding? Only when they cart you away. The wonderful work you do gives you real satisfaction. But it also gives you the money you so well deserve.