Are your pockets fat? I worked as a financial advisor for thirteen years helping my clients invest their assets and plan for their financial future. I’ve experienced money in my own life from many angles: a six-figure income, six-figure checks, six-figure loans and six-figure losses. I’ve won money, found money, donated money and held my breath when my checking account fell below a single dollar.

Money is a contract, but it’s also an energy flow.

Our money indicates our intention and our attention. Our intention shows up in the way we earn, spend and invest, while our attention shows up in the way we budget and track.

The week after Independence Day feels like an excellent time to share some of my favorite quotes and lessons about money:

1. “You can have everything you want if you will just help other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar. Idowu Koyenikan offers another insightful variation on this theme, “The money you make is a symbol of the value you create.” You need to create value for others with whatever it is that you offer, whether it’s at your 9-to-5, on your podcast or with your own business. When I think of some of our most iconic tech brands: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google or Facebook, they all offered a specific service very well. You have to figure out what people want and find a way to give it to them, whether it’s encouragement, a ride to the airport or a tasty sandwich.
2. “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” – Warren Buffet. I remember when my dad was in the final days of his life. He was sleeping in bed while his business was still turning a profit. That was a boss move, Dad. As I’ve worked with coaches and consultants in the past year, I’ve heard it over and over again, “Stop trading hours for dollars.” Building a legacy means, not only can you earn while you sleep, but even when you are no longer alive. If you’re Tupac, you can even perform after death, the ultimate flex. For some of us mere mortals, we might make passive income the old-fashioned way from rental income, good ole dividend-paying stocks and sturdy bond portfolios. These can also be used to create an endowment that lives on long after we’re gone.
3. “Everything you want in life is a relationship away.” – Idowu Koyenikan. Conversations about leveraging relationships have risen to the surface of many of my interactions lately. Remember the old adage, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” We can see examples of this on center stage in our political system. One candidate wins a seat in the white house, then another family member follows. Whether it’s the Bushes the Kennedys or the Clintons, proximity to power and wealth matters. If you’ve read, Thinking Outside the Chrysalis: A Black Woman’s Guide to Spreading Her Wings, you know my preferred term for “networking” is “pollinating.” No matter what you call it, it’s all about relationships! We could all have more success progressing along our journey if we supported each other. Much like the African proverb, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And if you worry you don’t know the right people, remember the rule of “six degrees of separation.” The theory is that we’re all only six or fewer relationships away from anyone on the planet that we want to meet. So, you know more people than you think you do. The question is, when is the last time you reached out?
4. “Don’t worry about being successful, work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.” – Oprah Winfrey. This one stuck with me. I remember singing along with Drake when I was working at Merrill Lynch, “I just wanna be suc-cess-ful…” I wanted to find great clients and pay my bills. I dreamed of being a top advisor. I didn’t dream of being significant. Now, it’s the only thing I think of. How can I impact the largest amount of people in the most relevant way? Well, I hope Oprah is on to something with this one. Oprah is basically magic, so it must be true.
5. “If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can’t buy.” – Unknown. Some days this is harder to do than others, but on any given day I can rattle off a few things easily: a sense of humor, peace of mind, a compassionate heart, a healthy body and the love of my friends and family. Have you ever had a difficult day set straight when you learned about someone else’s death or illness? Money is necessary, but it’s not the only important thing.

I encourage you to think about your relationship with money. What does it represent for you? Security? Freedom? Recognition? Generosity? Is money the only route to obtain the things you desire? Money is an exchange of energy. I hope the energy you exchange is always from a place of honor and integrity, because not only does integrity matter, it may very well be the thing that matters most.

I wish you passion, purpose and the realization of your fullest potential!