Yep, that’s right, I said it. But here is the thing; it will.

Money will not make everyone a better person. If you are a terrible human and you end up with a good chunk of cash, you will still be awful.

The thing is if you are the type of person who finds themselves reading a blog post about financial independence, if you are the type of person who is actively trying to improve themselves and their circumstances, money will make you a better person.

You are more than likely currently a fantastic person. You work hard, try your best, have a great attitude, and call your mother on a reasonably regular basis. So why then will money make you even better?

Money buys freedom.

Freedom is the ability to be doing what you want whenever you would like to be doing it. It is also so much more than this.

You are a different person when you owe nothing to no one.

So what does any of this have to do with money-making me a better person?

Let me answer your question with a question.

How do you feel right before you are about to leave to go on vacation?

Not the frantic planning or packing. I am talking about you are at the airport, you and your luggage are checked in and accounted for, you made it through TSA, your flight leaves in a half-hour. Just enough time to order a drink, sit back and languidly wait for the overhead announcement that your plane is now boarding; how do you feel?

I am going to guess somewhere in between elation and the peace of a zen buddha.

Do you know why you feel like this? At this exact moment, you are indeed free.

You owe nothing to no one.

You did everything you could before leaving. You caught up at work, left your outgoing messages with the appropriate people to contact upon your absence. You had your mail forwarded and asked your neighbor to water your plants. You did it all.

Even if you did forget something, you are about to board a plane. Fortunately, for now, that still means little to no contact with the outside world.

Here is the thing; you are at your best at this precise moment. You are at your most free.

The world awaits, and you have nothing but time and wonderment to offer.

In this unencumbered state, your mind is free.

When your mind is free, to be idle, to ruminate, and to flourish, you are a better person. You are your best self.

Money buys you the freedom that allows you to thrive and to grow in this manner.

Here is another significant side effect of having time to think and to live free from the obligation of others; you will make better decisions.

Making good decisions is like anything the more you practice, the better you get at doing it. The extra bonus to good decision making is that these decisions tend to have a significant compounding effect.

Quality decisions lead to favorable outcomes, favorable outcomes lead to more free time, more free time leads to the ability to think and prioritizes in effective ways, which leads to more good decision making.

Soon enough, all these good decisions become habits.

The irony is when you are broke and not making the best decisions, you feel like if only you had a bit more money, everything would be ok.

Once you stop and decide to start being more deliberate about your decisions, you will slowly but surely put yourself in a better financial situation. So much so that years will pass, and you realize you are content and satisfied with the life you have created for yourself, wanting for nothing. All the while, your net worth is steadily increasing.

Let me be clear, it is not the increased net worth that makes you a better person. It is the journey you must take to become a better version of ourselves. The version that decides I will not be a victim to circumstance. The version that says I only get this one short beautiful life, and I want it to matter.

Money is the byproduct of these calculated and deliberate decisions. It buys the freedom that allows you to grow and to flourish, thereby making you a better person.

What do you think? Do you agree? Do you vehemently disagree? Either way, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment with your thoughts.