Is it necessary to have money to make a difference?

I was recently asked this question after a talk I gave to a group of Girl Scouts visiting eastern Massachusetts, including Salem. Several years ago I created the Salem Women’s Heritage Trail, so I was asked to highlight some of the women on the trail for our smart and enthusiastic young visitors. I told them about Salem’s authors, publishers, teachers, philanthropists, reformers (abolitionists, suffragettes), artists, founders of social service organizations…it’s a long and impressive list.

And then questions and answers.

“Do I have to have money to make a difference?” a girl asked.

I realized I hadn’t said NO YOU DON’T!

In fact, I replied, it is the women who did NOT have a lot of money whose stories I find particularly compelling and inspiring. How did they accomplish what they did against obstacles we can’t even imagine today? What were their strategies and tactics? What was your background? What motivated them? How did they come to believe in themselves?

The answers to these questions are what I have tried to provide in my Unitarian Universalist talks and sermons over the years, because history is a living energy. We can draw inspiration from the wisdom of women of all ages to enlighten us today, especially as we find role models who faced some of the same challenges as us, including not having a lot of money.

In the history of Massachusetts women alone, I think of Phillis Wheatley, who was kidnapped from Africa as a child, brought to Boston, where she was “sold” to the Wheatley family, and eventually became the first published African-American poet.

Louisa May Alcott, whose father was notoriously incapable of earning money, also comes to mind. Through her pen and her imagination, Louisa became the most successful and famous writer of her day, and she supported her family! And her forever insisted that women be paid what men are paid.

I remember Margaret Fuller, who spent about a year and a half living with friends and relatives because she couldn’t afford her own house. She became the first female literary editor of a national newspaper; a reporter without equal in the United States in Europe; the first female foreign correspondent (in Italy); and the author of Woman in the 19th centurya landmark book in the history of women’s rights.

Therefore, it is NOT necessary to have a lot of money to make a difference. What you DO have to have is a solid belief in your abilities, wherever it comes from; a strong support system (which means getting rid of people who don’t support you); and the ability to spot or create opportunities and go after them, and move on!

Having said all this, you need money. You need money to survive and prosper, and you DESERVE to have money. As one of my coaches always says, “You can’t help anyone if you’re broke and homeless.”

She’s right, and since being of service is our highest calling in life, we really need to think through this truism, and be of service to ourselves first!

Money is also a lubricant. It helps you get things done, including publishing your own book or investing in your own business!

We were all brought up with the nagging Puritan notion that money is evil, that money is the “root of all evil.” This is a lie, and it is a way that people, especially women, are repressed. Instead of focusing on the LACK of what you have, focus on what you DO have. You DO have your talents and your reason for being here. With the right support system (people, faith, whatever you need), the money will come because you deserve to be rewarded for using your gifts. And you will use it to help others.

I always learn something from my audience, and I’ll keep this Girl Scout’s question in mind for future talks.

I didn’t get a chance to find out his name, but whoever you are, thanks for asking and keep up the good work!