Striving to Get Rich

One evening in 2020, I went to my hometown of Kiserian with the intention of getting a haircut. I was afraid of finding my favorite barbershop closed due to restrictions the county government had imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus that had broken out in Kenya.

Luckily, I found the door of the barbershop partially open. A barber allowed me in and quickly closed its door to shave my hair in secrecy.

As he began cutting my hair, he said that he had to continue doing his job despite the government restrictions because he needed to eat. In effect, he was saying he needed money.

Money is essential during our time on this grand and magnificent planet. Without it, we cannot lead a decent life. The necessity of having money is what leads many people to abandon their hobbies to do jobs that will put cash in their pockets. And those who can't find jobs resort to crime.

That money is essential has become more apparent to me during my evening walks in Kiserian where I observe people selling merchandise like shoes, clothes and vegetables by the roadside, even on Sundays. Their hustle has left me pondering how the need for money can force us to spend hours standing by the roadside, watching folks pass by, hoping a few will buy our merchandise. Isn't that boring?

It baffles me how some people spend a whole day hawking such mundane items as sandals and earn money that hardly meets their needs while some spend half a day in the office yet earn enough money to afford a Toyota Landcruiser.

Desiring to join that category of the few who earn oodles of money, I bought Wallace D. Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich. I read the book about two months ago, eager to learn how I can make money in abundance without forgetting God and His principles.

Written long before the invention of personal computers, The Science of Getting Rich is still relevant today. Wallace began the book with this memorable statement: "Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich."

He went ahead to share in the book his ideas on how everyone can become rich, supporting some of them with facts from the Bible. One of his ideas is developing an attitude of gratitude. He pointed out that many people are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude for what they have.

Wallace offered in the book some advice on how to attract more customers to a business, advice I could use to increase my blog audience but I didn't understand it clearly. I also didn't understand some of the methods he claimed riches are gained.

Though The Science of Getting Rich didn't captivate me, the book has spurred me to get rich. So much do I now want to be wealthy that I have deleted from this blog all quotes that encourage poverty and underrate the importance of money.

My beloved reader, I encourage you to also strive to be rich if you are struggling financially because money is important. As they say, get rich or die trying. But I hasten to implore you to get rich the godly way: that is, from work and investments that benefit the lives of others. Adieu!

*******************************
RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on striving to get rich, you might also enjoy another one on "My Take on Getting Rich" which I wrote over a year ago.