History’s Money Lessons

I could start this “History’s Money Lessons” section with quotes like “There’s nothing new under the sun” or “If we don’t learn from the past, we’ll repeat the same mistakes in the future”, but I won’t do that to you.  But it is absolutely true that whatever money issues you are dealing with today, that somebody – sometime – has probably already dealt with it.  

Maybe you’re struggling with massive debt, facing bankruptcy, suddenly lost your job, or are staring at a crossroad in your career.  Or maybe you’ve managed to do everything right financially so far and are just wondering what the next step towards success might be.  

I think you’ll enjoy this section… 

Or maybe you just want to read interesting stories about famous people and how they’ve dealt with money issues in life.  Regardless of your motivations, I think you’re going to enjoy this section.  I know I will.

The articles here are pure fun and full of encouragement and wisdom.  My disclaimer is that, even though I have a teaching endorsement in history, I do not consider myself a “historian” by trade.  So maybe some of the facts here are a bit off.  It’s my intention to be as accurate as possible of course, but if I miss a few dates or my timeline is off a bit – don’t sue me.

Something about him just reached out and grabbed me… 

Instead, if I have an article that sparks your interest, feel free to investigate that event or that person more.  Recently, I came across a snippet about P.T. Barnum – and I honestly didn’t know who he was.  Heard the name a few times, but that was about it.  But something about him just reached out and grabbed me and I set off to learn more.

What I uncovered was a period in U.S. History that is simply skipped over in schools today, and I found that very sad.  And as I studied more, I gained such an amazing understanding of business, selling, promotion, personal achievement, deal-making, and daring to be different and have been able to apply many of those lessons to what I do.

But beyond that, P.T. Barnum’s story exposed some dark times in America – prejudice, slavery, bigotry, fear and mistreatment of people who are different – dwarves, giants, handicapped, reclusives, etc. – and where the beginnings of equal rights for women and the civil rights movement really started.  

It’s a fascinating story… 

It exposed the unfair working conditions of many, child labor abuses, a society without any social or economic safety nets.  Did P.T. Barnum contribute to the plight of the disadvantaged and profit unfairly from the mistreatment of the “freaks” he employed?  Or did he help to reveal the struggles of these people and begin to move them towards mainstream acceptance?

It is a fascinating story.  I’ll share some of it here too, but I can’t do an exhaustive study in the attached articles.  I mention it because I hope you’ll use my journey of discovery concerning P.T. Barnum as an example of how to use these articles yourself.  

You’ll find solutions to your problems… 

I’ll expose some historical figures and events that maybe you don’t know much about – and I hope I’ll do it in an interesting enough way that you’ll want to learn more.  And my hope is that your discovery process will help you learn more about your own present situation and that you’ll find solutions to your problems and encouragement for your future.

If nothing else, having this section here “forces” me to stay on course and continue to learn more and more about our past as I dig for interesting stories to share with you, and it seems that every story I dig in to brings me more insight into myself and a greater understanding of the world I deal with everyday.  Thanks for reading!