We must seek truth and struggle to live by it
These brief remarks are for those who’ve asked me to summarize the main themes in my book,
What Your Money Means and How to Use It Well (Frank J. Hanna, III, Crossroad Publishing, 2008).
When I decided to try to study these questions, I resolved to follow the evidence where it leads, and not draw back from conclusions that might leave me uncomfortable or looking bad. In business and in my private life, I’ve always believed that if I’m going to handle things the way I ought, I’ve got to do four things: it's 1) Find out how things are now; 2) Discover how they’re supposed to be; 3) Figure out how to change things from how they are now to how they’re supposed to be; and 4) Make myself want to change them enough that I’ll do what’s necessary to bring about that change.
Generally, once I’ve discovered how things are and how they’re supposed to be, the hard work begins: figuring out how to get from how they are to how they’re supposed to be, and — hardest thing of all — make myself want to make that change. I mention this because writing my book largely accomplished steps 1) and 2) for me, but I’m still working on steps 3) and 4). It’s not easy for any of us to examine our attitudes and habits. It’s even harder to want to change them. So although the book is done, my own life is still a work in progress.
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