Learn to walk before you run

Michael Carroll was nineteen years old. He couldn't complete his education, and his company was also in a bad shape. At the age of sixteen, he became addicted to alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine, and started stealing to support his addiction. Without any criminal record, he appeared in court, and the court placed an "electronic tag" on his ankle. He was also a gambling addict, like those who buy lottery tickets in the hope of winning big. Michael kept buying lottery tickets while wandering around. In 2002, his lottery ticket won, and he received a hefty sum of five million pounds. For a nineteen-year-old with little education and an average thief, it was a significant amount. He became a multi-millionaire overnight. Michael started fulfilling all his desires and wishes with that money. He started a business, bought properties, purchased cars, hired staff, bought a big house, and threw parties. The downpour of wealth continued for eight years until he reached 2010 when he found himself bankrupt again. His cars were sold, his properties were seized by the bank, he had quit his job, his friends had fled, and his house was auctioned. Michael's condition had deteriorated so much by July 2010 that he was forced to clean carpets and bathrooms in a restaurant in London. Today, Michael lives in a rented room, works in a fast-food restaurant, and travels by buses and trains. He remembers the times of wealth. Michael is not the only one who met such a fate in the United Kingdom, European Union, and America. Fortune and the devil of wealth knocked on their doors. With a single touch, their desires turned into gold. But the marks of the devil of wealth had not yet faded when these people returned to the ground. Take the example of Laura and Roger Griffiths from the UK. They won a lottery of two million pounds in 2005. They were both very happy in their small room, but after winning the lottery, they divorced two years later and started selling their purchased items in the market. Roger had only seven pounds in his bank account, while Laura's credit cards had been canceled, and she was struggling in the banks' departments. These are the stories of those who won small lotteries. Take a look at the stories of those who won big lotteries in the UK. In 2009, Samantha and Adrian bay ford won a lottery of 45.5 million pounds, which is 9 billion rupees in Pakistani currency. They were both very happy after receiving such a large sum of money, but only eighteen months later, they divorced. Samantha moved to Belgium's city of Ghent, while Adrian did not want to see her face again. Their loved ones, relatives, and friends had all left them due to their behavior. Both of them were fed up, and their lonely and gloomy evenings were spent in drinking. In 2012, Dave and Angela Dawes won a lottery of 148 million pounds (29 billion rupees in Pakistani currency). Fifteen months later, they separated from each other, and their fortune was also diminishing rapidly like a torn sack of grains falling. They are both fighting lawsuits against each other. David and Angela Dawes are the third unlucky couple who won the lottery. They won a lottery of 101 million pounds, which is 18 billion rupees in Pakistani currency. Before winning the lottery, they used to live in a rented room for 70 pounds per month. After winning the lottery, they bought a mansion worth 9 million pounds. Both of them became victims of differences and are now living separate lives, with their half of the wealth frozen in the bank due to the disputes. They suddenly became vulnerable to the cruelty of wealth. You can see such victims of wealth around you as well. We have countless people who became millionaires, came up with some idea, became owners, started exports, became contractors, obtained permits and licenses for development, or made billions in buying and selling properties. But we also see them falling back into poverty, facing court cases, and getting arrested by the police. You must have seen many people going from rags to riches and then back to rags. You can also explore the profiles of people who have been murdered in the country. You will find a significant number of them to be newly wealthy or the sons, daughters, or close relatives of newly wealthy individuals. Retrieve data on people who died in accidents as well. You will find a good number of newly wealthy individuals among them as well. Retrieve data on patients of expensive doctors. You will find a larger number of newly wealthy individuals among them. The question is, why does this happen? The reason behind it is the destructive nature of wealth. Wealth is like quicksand. If you slowly and steadily come into contact with it, it adds to your happiness, comfort, and peace of mind. But if you suddenly get immersed in it, it can make you sick. It makes you susceptible to accidents, increases your enemies, and breaks your relationships. Take a look at the backgrounds of the people sitting in personal guards and bulletproof cars. You will find ninety percent of them to be newly wealthy. While the wealthy families today still walk around without guards and rifles, they will be seen fearlessly walking in restaurants and markets. Why? Because the currency notes of the newly wealthy have brought their enemies, their envious ones along with them. And these envious ones and enemies are not allowing them to live a peaceful life. As a result, they are forced to live under the shadow of rifles. In contrast, the leaders or wealthy individuals from established families never make a move or mistake that would turn people against them or breed enmity. I have seen a man in Lahore doing a two billion rupee deal. He was wearing ordinary slippers, had a simple cap on his head, and arrived in a rented car while the dealer of that deal was riding a Prado, accompanied by four gunmen. You can understand the difference. The person paying two billion rupees was riding in a rented car, while the agent taking a commission was riding in a Prado with guards. Why? Because the owner of two billion rupees was coming from two generations of wealth, so he had no enemies. But the commission agent had seen newfound wealth, and that wealth had brought along his known enemies. Earning wealth is an art, but protecting yourself from its dangerous consequences and managing that wealth is true craftsmanship. Until you learn to manage wealth, protect yourself from its side effects, and take care of it, you should not strive to earn wealth because if you earn wealth without craftsmanship, it will bring a message of destruction for you and your family. It will ruin you. Even if you manage to escape its ruin, your descendants will suffer its consequences because you are merely passing on wealth to them without teaching them the art of earning and managing wealth. You haven't even told them that wealth is like a wild horse or an untamed elephant. If you ride them without learning horsemanship or understanding the psychology of elephants, they will trample you under their feet. Riding them will be your death. Teach your children the art of managing wealth before wealth itself. Make them leaders of the family rather than newly wealthy individuals. Your descendants will be your progress and you...