About finding that delicate balance between living & being spiritually rich:

In the past a person was valued not only by his wealth, but also by his spiritual integrity and level of compassion – this was more balanced.  

Nowadays a person is measured by his job, social status, and the parties he is invited to, the car that he drives and how big his plasma screen is at home. 

We live in a consumer world were we are measured by how many and how frequently we shop.  Of course it has a lot to do with commercial brainwashing that sends us messages such as  if you buy this car your family will love you.  They use the ideals we grew up on and that we search for when buying a  product, for $99.99 a month you can get closer to that ideal of  happiness. Living in this consumption mentality encourages us to be lost, to look for peace & happiness outside of ourselves.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that one should  live as a monk with no material positions on a mountain.  I don’t believe that being poor means finding true joy in life or means that you are necessary a kind person who values life. However,  on the other hand I also don't believe in chasing   the right job, the right furniture for the house or the latest fashion.  I believe in the delicate balance of both and of course what matters the most is the motivation behind your consumption. 

I believe that a person should build himself morally and spiritually first so he be worthy of the title of being a  human being.  Then a person should pursuit the understanding of money and being financially independent, so he can use the money to achieve his goals, and for what makes him happy, so he won't be forced to be stuck with  a 9-5 job to pay the bills, or expect the government to take care of his needs, or to find away to make a living by fulfilling his wishes- a person should take responsibility of his life & everyday happiness and not go threw  , for the  bottom line is : if not you , who will

It is important to keep that delicate balance in life at all  times, even though it is difficult and requires a lot of self discipline and hard work.  Remember to take time alone and think about the meaningful things in life as well as escaping from the confines of yourself  and seeing things from a different perspective. Remember to be able to evaluate yourself if you still on track, otherwise there might be a situation similar to the Chinese cube that when you finally managed to get all the yellow in one row , the blue row you built earlier is all messed up.

And always remember if you were blessed with money, share it with others, don't be constantly blinded by consuming, use that money for self improvement and development, things that bring you joy, because every person is unique and can develop himself to grow into a beautifully  rare flower.