1. I was Weighed
Down With
greed
Zena Rice-Sarantis
WRD 110
4/3/14

2. From a money hungry kid to a
happy loving adult.
• My journey from thinking money was the most important
thing in the world.
• I always thought money was one of the most important
things in life, I thought that money was a measure of ones
success, that was until my parents went bankrupt my
freshman year of college without warning. Now, I believe
that having meaningful relationships with my family and
friends as well as love are the most important things and
are really true measures of your success in life.

3. “Money, some people so
poor; all that they've
got is money... Oh, and
diamonds... Some
people waste their life
counting their
thousands...(Keys)”

4. When I grow up I want
to be a ballerina rich.
• In fifth grade we had a project in school, we had to write
all about what we wanted to be when we grew up. This
project was easy for me, I knew what I wanted to be since
first grade, rich.
✔

5. Money = Success
• Growing up I was sure that the only way you could truly
have a successful life was if you were rich.
• I thought money was the only measure of a persons
success.
• I thought money was the end all be all. I had to be rich if I
wanted to be happy when I was older.

6. Money = Happiness
• I always assumed that if you had money you would be
happy.
• I figured nothing else mattered too much as long as you
could live very comfortably.

7. I want it all …
• I was writing a
paper and I asked
my brother to give
a description of my
personality and he
said “ well you
definitely enjoy the
finer things in life
and you like having
nice stuff”

8. …well I used to
• Everything changed in October of my freshman year of college.
• I called my parents and started talking about how excited I was to come
home. The other line was silent as I babbled on about seeing my friends and
going shopping at the mall. My dad finally broke the silence, saying we are so
sorry but we can’t afford for you to come home. Confusion and shock settled
over me as I began to question why they couldn’t afford it.

9. And the shift begins
• It was a hot summer night, I was home from school sitting
outside with my dad. He was telling my brother and I how
sorry he was for making our lives harder and not being
able to provide us with what we needed.
• This moment with my dad was a major moment of clarity
for me. I realized I didn’t need material things or money to
make my life full and happy, I just wanted the people who
were most important in my life to be happy.

10. A helping hand
• When my parents declared bankruptcy, two of our family
friends generously gave my parents money to help keep
everything afloat.
• I was in awe when I heard of their incredible generosity.
• Another moment of clarity washed over me, and I again
realized how important having meaningful relationships
with friends and family are. You need people to surround
yourself with when life gets hard.

11. I get by with a little help
from my friends.
• What is success if you don’t have anyone to share it with?
• I have realized that having strong and meaningful
relationships with my friends and family is more important
than becoming rich.

12. So what do I want to be now?
• Now that I’m not so
worried about being
rich, I’m following my
passions in
Psychology and
Music.

13. Materialistic ? Not me, well not
anymore.
• Sometimes ill look around my room at home and feel like
I’m drowning in “things”.
• What the heck did I need all those random things for?
• I feel lighter now, no longer weighed down by greed and
envy.

14. Happily Ever After
• My family is closer now than we ever have been, and I am much
closer with my friends, and family friends who supported my family
and I so much through the change.
• Going broke so to speak, was kind of a good thing now my family and
I are all rebuilding our lives and not looking back.

15. Food for thought,

16. Works Cited
Alicia Keys. “Not Even The King." Girl on Fire. RCA, 2012. CD.
Ballerina picture:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/514817801125180169/
Mansion picture:
http://www.modernweddingphotography.tv
Mercedes picture :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-
Benz_SLR_McLaren
Picture of girl Shopping
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/237353842830957330/