What do you see when you look at a dollar bill?

Some see a path to security.

Others see a tool for influence.

Still others see a way to keep score.

My perspective? It’s informed by Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s book Thou Shall Prosper, where he describes a dollar bill as a certificate of service. 

In other words, you only earned that dollar because someone, voluntarily and willingly, said:

“What you did added value to my life.”

That’s a profound shift from the language our culture often uses around money. We hear businesses proudly talk about how they “give back” to the community.

Sounds noble—but embedded in that language is a quiet accusation:

If a company needs to “give back,” then apparently it must have taken something that didn’t belong to it in the first place.

No wonder so many good people struggle to feel good about success.

But what if business isn’t an extraction model at all? What if, at its best, business is a service engine?

Think about it:

If a customer pays you, it’s because you solved a problem.

If someone buys again, it’s because your service made their life better.

If a business grows, it usually means more jobs, better futures, and broader ripple effects in families and communities.

In that light, a dollar isn’t something you owe apologies for. 

It’s proof of contribution.

That reframes the whole “give back” conversation. Because if your work already serves people, then philanthropy isn’t about repaying a debt—it’s about continuing a pattern of generosity.

And here’s the part that stuck with me: If we believe that earning money is morally questionable, we will eventually feel guilty for creating value.

And that’s a tragedy.

Because in my view, we need more businesses (not less) who bless the world by serving well, solving real problems, and being rewarded for it.

So the next time you hear someone say a business should “give back,” maybe pause and ask:

Give back what, exactly?

If what they earned was the result of service, excellence, and value…

Then they’ve already given.

And they’re free to give again.

At least that’s my perspective. But I’m curious to hear what you think:

1. When you look at a dollar bill, what do you see?

2. How does that perspective shape your pursuit and deployment of resources?

3. Is there such a thing as making too much money?

Carry on fellow travelers, we’ll talk soon!