The money tree is a perennial plant, which often finds a home in the living rooms of many houses. The plant is small, pretty and not too difficult to care for. However, these alone are not the reasons why so many people are encouraged to keep the plant inside their home and care for it. It is in fact because of the belief that the money plant attracts wealth and prosperity. It is believed that if one has a healthy, thriving money plant in their home, then they will enjoy wealth, success and good luck. Now, although this may be nothing more than a superstition, there is a history behind the practice and a lesson to be learned as well.
The concept of a money plant and the beliefs associated with it have many roots that extend to an era that existed centuries ago. However, there is one story that is often trusted to be the origin of these beliefs. It is said that long ago, there was a farmer who had almost gone bankrupt due to poor harvest seasons. One day, as he was wandering the forests and praying for relief from his poverty and hunger, he came across a money plant for the first time. Finding the plant strange and attractive, he took it home with him, propagated it, and began to sell it. Soon, the farmer found himself wealthy. Hence, the plant became known as the money plant and many people believed that it brought wealth.
Oftentimes, the world around us offers us quick schemes to success. It offers us good luck or prosperity packaged in charms, pottery or even plants. It is an unfortunate fact that none of these items can ever truly bring us success or satisfaction. Simple tasks or chores are often made even easier with the tools and technologies that are available to us. In today’s world, everything from the food we eat to the clothes we wear are influenced by these tools. Our lives, however, are not little or inconsequential by any means. They are valuable. Because they are so valuable, there is no possible way to live it successfully without gaining the experience needed and doing the work that must be done.
In the origin story of the money plant, the farmer did not become wealthy because the plant brought him luck. Instead, he used his skills and talent to successfully move, grow and sell the plant to get wealth from it. However, as time has passed, we have slowly erased the importance of the hard work and skill that went into his process of success. We have adopted the belief that if we own a money plant, then we too will somehow become wealthy. This is the unfortunate money plant mindset.
As young people, when we look up to great achievers and those who are successful, we must not only be inspired by their success, but also motivated by their work and talent. We must not aspire to become as rich or as successful as our idols. Instead, we must aspire to be as hardworking and talented as them, as this is what truly matters.
