“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and just not think about your age.” — Lucille Ball

I remember hearing Oprah say a long time ago that money is relative. I found the Newsweek article where she talks about “How I Got There” in terms of dollars and success.

She says, “When I started, my goal was just to have a job. I was 19 and I couldn’t believe I was on TV. My first job paid $10,000 a year. I wanted to ‘make my age,’ and when I was 22, I was making $22,000.”

“I remember being in the bathroom at the television station in Baltimore and my friend Gayle and I were jumping up and down and going, ‘Oh my God, can you imagine if you’re 40 and you’re making $40,000?'”

I believe everyone just out of college thinks in terms of “making their age” and equates money with success. Even the media puts a lot of emphasis on the age of success. The OC Metro recently profiled “Business Stars Under 40” in Orange County and the person on the cover was Chef Jamie Gwen. She’s young (31), blonde, beautiful and rich.

To be honest, I feel so ordinary and mediocre when I read these articles. Especially on days like today… it’s my thirty-ninth birthday. I’m not mentioning it to rouse any “Happy Birthday” comments. I’m actually a little birthday-ed out since Jeanine and I celebrated most of the weekend, which was wonderful, by the way.

No, today, I can’t help but focus on my age and realize that my thirties are quickly vanishing like a vapor being swept away in a gust of wind. Why is there so much pressure to be young and accomplished? And why does being accomplished always have to mean having a lot of money.

We live in a society where money is the yardstick. Why? We’re conditioned early on to be strivers and for strivers, money equals success. Ellen R. Marsden, in one of her financial book reviews, writes, “Money is never just about money. There’s always an emotional component to it, representing our fears, desires and doubts.”

I love Oprah’s conclusion, “The real beauty of having material wealth is that you don’t have to worry about paying the bills and you have more energy to be concerned about the things that matter. How do I accelerate my humanity?”

As we pass through life, money is supposed to allow us to focus on things that matter. Hmmm… let’s see what I wish for as I blow out my candles tonight since there’s still a tiny weenie part of me that would prefer a new car over donating money for AIDS research. I’ll try and be more like Oprah tomorrow.