The Most Important Financial Principle

I had a turning point — an Aha moment last January when I watched a movie with my wife Kat and our two baby daughters, Gabbie and Alexa, 3 and 1 years old at that time. We watched the greatest movie ever produced, no movie has given me this kind of viewing experience…Alvin and the Chipmunks 3—Chipwrecked.

This is the third movie that I brought my babies to. My babies don’t last 30 minutes before they start running around. Some parents advised me to stock on unlimited popcorn or snacks to keep them in their seats. To my children, it never works. But during this particular moment, they sat throughout the whole movie. 

Gabbie: Daddy, they are so funny!

Me: Yes they are. Gabbie, I love you!

Gabbie: I love you too daddy.

Me: Can I have some popcorn?

Gabbie: No!!!

When the credits were shown and the movie concluded, I can’t help but start getting teary-eyed…not because of the movie, but because I felt so blessed. My teary eyes started sweating a lot. (They say real men don’t cry, their eyes just sweats, so my eyes were profusely sweating) I covered my face so that Kat won’t see me. She definitely won’t understand why I’m crying after watching Chipmunks and I’m not in the mood to explain.

The previous year, in 2010, we paid all our business debts. 2011 was recovery time for us. 2012 was different—how will I resurrect my dead dreams and start again afresh. In the movie house, I cried because I realized I was trying so hard to accomplish so much in the last decade of my life. I thought I would only be “content” and happy if I achieve my dreams, but little did I know that before you reach for your dreams, you need to have contentment first. I was sitting there and discovered that all I ever want in life is with me in the theatre…my wonderful family. What more could I ask for.

Contentment is the state of being happy regardless of your circumstances, whether you have much or little. A contented person sees the real issues that are worth fighting for. It frees you to enjoy life regardless of what you have, what you achieved, or what you have accumulated. You don’t keep up the appearance that you are rich when you’re not. You will be surprised that what you find valuable before don’t just matter anymore.

The flipside is that when you are contented, you will have all the reason to reach for your dreams, because a contented person dream dreams to benefit other people. It gave me a reason again to have grand dreams as a result of wanting to reach the top of the mountain together with my family.

Contentment is the most important, the most powerful financial principle. With it, you are already prosperous even before possessing prosperity; without it, you are in poverty even with all the financial prosperity that you possess.

One last thing, real contentment is found in a spiritual life, in our faith in God, that no matter what happens, he will guide our paths.

I can’t wait to watch Chipmunks 4; I’ll make sure to bring a truckload of tissue.