Empowerment for the Pursuit of Happiness

with guest David Meltzer #MakingBank S4E49

Having a stable financial situation undoubtedly makes certain aspects of life much easier. Knowing that the bills will get paid, the lights will stay on, and mouths will get fed is comforting to us all. But what happens when we rely on money for other aspects of life? Our guest on this week’s episode, David Meltzer spoke to his unhealthy relationship with money, how he got there, and how he was able to change his perspective on what money truly bought. We all know the old expression “money doesn’t but happiness,” but how do you convince yourself of this when you grew up in poverty? 

Seeing Money As Happiness 

Anyone who has grown up poor knows how hard life can be when there is no money for the necessities. The struggle of keeping food on the table and having all the bills paid when there is not enough money is a hard reality. In the times where there is more money there is more food, fun, and freedom. A common thread of this situation is seeing money as happiness. So what happens when that child who grew up poor then goes on to become very wealthy, very young? That is what happened in the case of David Meltzer, within his first year of employment after graduation he had made his first million. This is a stark contrast from his humble beginnings as a child, and this is where David’s life began to drastically change. He continued to make more and more money, and began to obtain all the things that come along with wealth. He bought the big house, the cars, the boats, had the celebrity friends, married his dream girl. He had all the material possessions one imagines when they think of the super wealthy. But the newness and fun of all these material possessions began to wear off, and David started recognizing some unsavory aspects of his life.  

Mismanaging Money 

David was beginning to realize he was in an unhealthy relationship with his money. He was using his money to buy things he knew he did not need, he was using his money to impress people he did not like, and he even used his money as a weapon against wife when she expressed being unhappy. He had been using money in trade for along time. He admitted to giving to charities just so they would praise him. He had been using money to manipulate relationships as well, he wanted to be his mother’s favorite child and was using his wealth for that purpose. He wanted to feel respected and wanted to feel that people were grateful to him for what he bought them. These were hard truths that David had to admit to himself, easier said than done. He had been viewing money as happiness for a very long time, stemming from his upbringing and then to his quick success out of college. But he wasn’t happy and he wasn’t making those around him happy, so he knew he had to do a major overhaul of his life. He had to figure out what he needed to be happy and how he could use his wealth to help others find their happiness as well.  

The Shift 

David had to admit to himself that he was not being the person he wanted to be, that he was not using his money for good, and ultimately realize that money does not in fact buy happiness or love. This is major introspection David was doing, he needed to figure out his life. He did the hard work of digging deep to figure out what his values were and how he could make big changes in his life to get more aligned with these personal values. He didn’t want to continue down this same dangerous path, he wanted to be happy and make others happy as well. He had been using money for respect and control and he realized that wasn’t serving him or making him happy, so he went on a journey to empower others. David put in the work to figure out what truly made him happy and then he wanted to share that journey with others. He came out of this journey feeling truly happy, with a new healthy mindset, and a new desire to help others in need. David’s new mission in life was to have an impact on a billion people, to help a billion people find their true happiness. A huge undertaking but David has been persistent. For the past 20 years David has been traveling the globe to put on his free training seminars on empowering others, his new life’s mission. He puts on these trainings not just to help those attending the trainings, but to empower them with the tools to then go out and empower others to find their happiness as well. What a beautiful example of how changing your perspective can not only change your life, but also others’ lives in a very positive manner. David is now using his money for good, by getting out there and sharing his story, even the uncomfortable parts to admit. These trainings are completely free of charge and are a gift that keeps giving, he is empowering others to empower others, a powerful movement in the pursuit of happiness.  

The Takeaways 

Admitting faults within yourself is not an easy journey but can change your life in the most meaningful ways. We all want financial security and freedom, but it is important to recognize what you are working for. Is it for the big house or all the cars? If so, maybe some emotional work needs to be done. Get to know yourself and what values are important to you and work for those values. Figure out the relationships in your life that are most important and work for those. When you start making these changes within yourself, you will start to feel a different sense of peace and happiness with how you are moving through the world.