I was recently asked this question after a talk I gave to a group of Girl Scouts who were 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 authors, publishers, teachers, philanthropists, reformers (abolitionists, suffragettes), artists, founders of social service organizations … it’s a long and impressive list.
And then Q&A.
“Do I have to have money to make a difference?” asked a girl.
I realized that he hadn’t said NO, DON’T DO IT!
In fact, I replied, it’s 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 in the face of obstacles we cannot even imagine today? What were your strategies and tactics? What was its origin? 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 tap into the wisdom of women of all time to enlighten us today, especially when we find role models who faced some of the same challenges as us, including not having much money.
Only in the history of Massachusetts women do I think of Phillis Wheatley, who was abducted from Africa as a child, taken 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 making money, also comes to mind. Through her pen and her imagination, Louisa became the most successful and famous writer of her time, and she supported her family! And her forever he insisted that women be paid what men were paid.
I remember Margaret Fuller, who spent about a year and a half living with friends and family because she couldn’t afford her own house. She became the first female literary editor of a national newspaper; a reporter like no other in the United States in Europe; the first foreign correspondent (in Italy); and the author of Woman in the 19th century, a historical 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 MUST have is a solid belief in your abilities, no matter where 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 be of anybody’s service if you’re broke and homeless.”
She is right, and since being of service is our highest calling in life, we really need to think about this truism, and serve 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 raised with the persistent Puritan notion that money is bad, that money is the “root of all evil.” This is a lie, and it is a way in which people, especially women, are repressed. Instead of focusing on the LACK of what you have, focus on what you DO have. YOU 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 audiences and will keep this Girl Scout’s question in mind for future discussions.
I didn’t get a chance to find out her name, but whoever you are, thanks for the question and keep coming back!