Man Makes the Money…
Money Never Made the Man LL Cool J
Are you a money maker? Simple question. There is no malice or ill will in the question. Just a simple question to see where you are. Are you a money maker?
One characteristic you never hear about our community is industrial might. Why is that? Could it be the men are not money makers in our community? From the beginning of time men were made to produce. Men are the breadwinners. You can’t be a winner if you don’t bring home bread. As a man, producing is in your DNA. This is a truth many of you might want to get in touch with.
Adam got kicked out of the Garden of Eden for the original sin. His punishment was to toil for a living by the sweat of his brow. But, was it really a punishment? Turn this thing around. When you work, you may be exerting physical effort, but you are accomplishing something of value. In that value, you are putting something of worth into the world. For this worth, you are rewarded. This reward is money. To recap: Money is the reward for putting something of worth into the world by working. This my fellow builder is industry. Could it be Adam was being shown a new way to overcome failings and shortcomings? The outcome and results from working by the sweat of your brow can be monstrously rewarding if you are smart in your efforts. Working can serve up great benefits.
Making money through direct community improvement turns you into an Industrialist. Our neighborhood is poverty stricken because we have very few industrialists taking it upon themselves to produce, we have a small minority of money makers, and we have little to no builders. How can this be when producing is in our DNA? Turn this thing around. We have nothing but space and opportunity ahead of us to turn young men into industrialists, money makers, and builders. The future can be what we want it to be by taking the initiative.
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When I was a little boy, we used to go to the country to visit my grandmother. There was a man who lived in her neighborhood who used to walk everywhere. He always wore blue jean overalls with a long john shirt in the winter and a tee shirt underneath in the summer. He also wore these work boots that were really old and hard with paint, chalk, and dirt on them. I couldn’t tell his age but he had to be 50 something? He couldn’t read or write because he never went to school. Kids used to make fun of him, but I was fascinated by him. He was genuinely kind to me. Townspeople were always picking him up to go do something. I wondered where he went all day, so I asked him one evening when he came back. He told me he did jobs for people. I said like what? He said painting, concrete, roofing, cattle routing. I said that’s hard work, does it pay good. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a bank roll so big I couldn’t believe my eyes. It had to be at least $5,000. I said that’s a lot of money. He said, young bugger, people pay me the most because I do jobs most men won’t do or are scared to do. If you want to make a lot of money, be good at what you do.
This old man wasn’t educated in school, but he taught me a lesson I never forgot. He was an Industrialist. He made his money by being a specialist. His specialty was having a skill of knowing how to solve problems with the use of courage and physical abilities. Imagine trying to find 3 cows who have broken through a fence wandering around for acres and acres. A cow can become belligerent and not want to come back. He was so good he could bring cows back without even saying anything to them. No shouting, no pleading, he brought them back because of his will. Cows could feel his Will being impressed upon them. People could feel his will also, that’s why they paid him handsomely. They knew he would solve whatever problem they had. His will and his spirit was the reason I was drawn to him, too.
The old man was a money maker and he knew who he was even though most people didn’t think much about him. He didn’t fight work, he was hardened by it. His hands were like two stones and his eyes were old like he was ancient. He didn’t brag, but he carried himself like he was ready to take on whatever anyone threw at him. Nothing bothered him and he was kind and gracious, especially to me. The best word I can use to describe him was Solid. He also had a lot of money which most people didn’t know. He was a man who always made money. He didn’t let the money make him.
Do you want to be a money maker? Can you become Solid? Are you an Industrialist? Before you can stack up money and become a Capitalist, you must first learn how to be an Industrialist. This distinguished gentleman was a Capitalist, too. He walked around with a bank in his pocket. He had huge sums of money when most working people made only $75 a week. If every young men learned the lesson my dear Elder friend taught me that day, our community would become an Industrial giant. I challenge you today to become an Industrialist!
Coach T