There is a huge disconnect between what wealth actually is and what the media tells you wealth should look like. You assume wealthy people have lots of stuff, right? The fancy cars, huge houses, designer clothes and jewelry. But they often forget to mention how much debt those people have.

People have such a skewed idea of money and wealth. It always amazes me how people automatically assume wealthy people are greedy people.

Today, I want to show you a different side of wealth that has completely changed the way I think about money. It is actually what gets me out of bed every morning, the reason I go to work… and it’s not what you think.

See, money is just that – money. It’s not happiness, it’s not love, it’s not safety, it’s not security, it’s not a friend. It IS, however, a tool. It is a very powerful tool. You use it to buy food and clothing and shelter. You can use it to buy more food and nicer clothes and bigger houses. But what is it all for? What does it all mean? How long will that last? How long will you be satisfied with that?

Probably not long. In fact, if that’s the way you choose to spend your money, there’s a good chance you will end up in debt and miserable. How do I know? Because I’ve been there!

When I started making a little bit of money, I started spending it. I had it all – the house, the guest house, the furniture, the cars, the clothes. I had the best of everything. The bigger the paycheck was, the bigger my spending became. I was completely addicted to stuff. I had it all, but I was so empty.

Then I began to put purpose to that money. I began to use the money NOT for more stuff, but to impact other people. And here’s what I found: when you have a vision for your money, when you have a purpose for making money, you will make more of it.

When you put purpose to money, you will make more money and be more productive. Why? Because you have a reason for going to work every day that isn’t just about stuff or greed. You now have a real reason for working with diligence and excellence. You have a reason for producing results and increasing your value in the marketplace.

The work you do… whether it’s pushing papers, crunching numbers, teaching, making phone calls or doing construction… is no longer just about the work. It has purpose!

When your motivation is not just to make money, but has a greater purpose or goal, you will see incredible multiplication – with people, time and money. That is when you will see yourself getting an amazing job, your bosses giving you promotions, and your business taking off. That is when you will see your investments double and triple, your houses sell unexpectedly and your bank accounts growing.

So I want to ask you today – have you given your money purpose? What gets you out of bed in the morning? Why do you go to work every day? Is it so you can just barely scrape by and take care of your family? Is it so you can have a nice house, fast cars and lots of stuff? Or do you have a bigger vision? Share your purpose for money with me in your comments and be sure to Like and Share today’s message with your friends and family. Share your vision!

Don’t forget to join us later today on The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/11 am CT. You can tune into the show on either your TV or radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,