Preface: Poor little rich boy
"Money has never yet made anyone rich."
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (C. 4 B.C.-A.D. 65)
Something
marvelous took place on the Callaway family tree this past December: My parents
celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. As you know, a 55th anniversary is as
rare these days as checkered zebras, so we blew up balloons, bought gifts,
combed the grandkids' hair, and ordered pizza. When the festivities died down,
we thought we'd better do something a little out of the ordinary, so we bought
space in a city newspaper and placed these words beside a picture of the
handsome couple:
"Happy 55th Wedding Anniversary!
From the 5 of us
awaiting our inheritance."
Of course, those who know my parents laughed the loudest when they saw this. But not everyone joined them. When my older brother (a Baptist minister) delivered the ad to the paper, the lady in charge of the classifieds took a long look at it, breathed deeply, then asked quite seriously, "You sure you wanna say this? Won't it start a family feud or something?"
She had a good point. After all, the experts tell us that baby boomers stand to inherit 7 trillion dollars over the next twenty years. But we Callaway kids won't have much to fight over. You see, our parents spent their entire lives below what the government calls "the poverty line." When Mom and Dad pass through heaven's gates they will leave behind a few sticks of furniture, an antique clock, and a car that sometimes runs.
I wasn't always thankful for this.
As a five-year-old, I sat on the edge of the bathtub, two pennies in hand, and discovered to my surprise that by simply holding the coins in front of a mirror I could double my assets. What would it be like to make money this quickly? I wondered, before praying out loud, "God, please make me rich."
But God didn't seem to hear.
In those days, my father's monthly income was $230, hardly enough to buy sugar for my cereal. It's safe to say that the buck stopped before it got to our house. As a result, we had no television. No skateboards. No insurance. In fact, we couldn't even afford a phone. One night I overheard Dad say to Mom, "Honey, we have enough money to last us the rest of our lives. Unless we live past Thursday!"
Thursday came and went and the years slipped by.
Then, ever so slowly, it began to dawn on me that my prayer was being answered.
Not in the way I hoped it would be. But in a far better way. You see, at the age
of 14, I still hadn't smelled the inside of a new car, savored a Big Mac, or
slipped on a brand new pair of jeans. But I had a backyard to run in, friends to
play with, parents who loved me, and the rock solid belief that God loved me
too.
Through the years I have watched my fellow North Americans pursue wealth in all the wrong places. Just this morning I did a quick search on the Internet and discovered almost 17,000 websites on "how to get rich quick."
I could not find one on "making life rich."
Yet, when it comes right down to it, that's what we're all looking for, isn't it? Our television promises that a newer car, a colder drink, or a cuter wife will be just the ticket. The billboards assure us that a step up the ladder, a plane ride to somewhere exotic, or a worry-free journey to retirement will make our lives richer. But deep down, we know it's a lie. Still, millions of us spend our lives pursuing what we don't have...to the neglect of what we really need. And what is it that we really need? What is it that we're looking for??
In my quest to answer these questions, I began to ask people, young and old, rich and poor, famous and infamous, what has made their lives rich. Their answers surprised me. And formed the backbone of what you are about to read.
As a young boy in dilapidated jeans, sitting on the edge of the tub, I thought I knew what would make me rich. As a middle-aged man, I'm beginning to discover that truly rich people, whether they know it or not, share six characteristics.
I can't wait to tell you what they are.
