We are living in an age where two things are king - information and money.

An active pursuit of knowledge in your chosen field will ultimately lead to you being paid more. Put simply, the more expert you become the more highly sought will be your expertise. So, increased knowledge can lead to more money.

Let's talk about money just for a moment. Are there lines that you will not cross in your pursuit of it?

Throughout history millions of mis-guided people have done all sorts of scurrilous things to obtain it. But at what price? Death, dishonor, imprisonment, ridicule, personal grief...

Some people have such low standards. They will do virtually anything for money. What are you prepared to do for money? Do you have a code of honor?

Let's put money into perspective. Just imagine that you have every dollar, every rupiah, every pound, every deutschemark and every other piece of every currency in the world. It's all yours. But there is one hitch - you are the only person left alive. Everybody else is dead. Would having all that money make you happy?

The real power of having money is in sharing it and trading it with others.

On a vacation to the United Kingdom several years ago I noticed a lot of graffiti. It was everywhere. Some bright spark had written in large letters on the outside of a toilet wall: "I will do almost anything for 10 pounds." There was a telephone number underneath the scrawl. But the message below that really made me wonder. It said: "I will do ANYTHING for 20 pounds." And there was a telephone number accompanying that message too.

Now, I don't know whether either or both messages were for real or were just some silly pranksters trying to be humorous but it got me thinking. I wondered just how low some people would stoop to get money. So, the next time you feel desperate for money and consider doing something for it that you would rather nobody else ever got to know about just think of having all the money in the world and nobody to share it with. It's a sobering thought, isn't it?

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson lives in Perth, Western Australia.

His passions are writing (of course), reading, karate, body building, investment and growing tropical palms.

His website is devoted to helping people achieve greater success and self esteem through personal development.

Gary is a regular contributor to numerous magazines and newspapers. His articles and short stories appear in many forums. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, they are now being shared worldwide.

He has written eight books:

LARGE VOLUMES:

- "Journey,Life and Destiny" - personal development (2 vols)

- "How to Save $1000's and Increase Your Personal Net Wealth"

- "Brain Training - Affirmations to Strengthen Mind and Body"

- "Strike Back 1" - Self Defence Instruction Manual

- "Strike Back 2" - Self Defence Instruction Manual

SHORT VOLUMES:

- "The Power of Choice" (FREE e-book) - a popular story about a man looking back on his achievements from the hereafter. It is a poignant story that has received accolades from all over the world - from Iceland to Canada to Great Britain to Morocco to New Zealand to the Czech Republic to the USA - and dozens of countries in between.

The Power of Choice is a free resource and can be downloaded directly from Gary's website.

- "Using Motivation and Self Esteem to Excel in Everything You Do" (FREE e-book) - valuable resource to introduce newcomers to the wonders of personal development. This book is available on request. You can secure your copy by leaving your name and email address (no "hotmail" addresses accepted) at his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website.

Gary's unique approach has been shaped by his 35 year pursuit of karate and his 15 year study of the principles of motivation. He has two personal mottos. These are:

"Excellence of Execution."

and

"Imagination is Infinite."

You can learn a great deal about all matters regarding motivation and self esteem at his website. You will find articles, interviews with achievers, motivational messages and other material. You can even opt to receive free material by visiting the "zenspiration" page.

The Motivation and Self Esteem for Success website was constructed by Linda Caroll who Gary has called the "Kyoshi of Website Design" (In karate terminology Kyoshi means "Polished Master"). Visit Gary's website to see for yourself.