Get the Bag” – But What’s In It?

Marcus D. Taylor, MBA
Aug 4
4 min read

Cartoon-style illustration of a bulging yellow money bag with a large green dollar sign on the front, tied at the top with a brown rope, sitting on a soft beige background. — Chasing the bag—but what’s really inside? A playful cartoon visual symbolizing the pursuit of money without purpose.

The Culture of the Bag

You’ve heard it before.

“Get the bag.”

It’s echoed by social media influencers, entertainers, and even motivational speakers. For Millennials and Generation Z, it’s become a cultural slogan—synonymous with chasing money, hustling hard, and doing whatever it takes to secure financial gain.

But every time I hear it, I pause.

I think back to old cartoons—the kind where robbers grabbed burlap sacks stamped with dollar signs. I imagine that's where this metaphor came from. But today, that “bag” isn’t just about money—it’s become a symbol of success, status, and self-worth. The question is...

What happens when we chase the bag, but never ask what’s in it

The Disconnect Between Money and Meaning

We’re living in a time where money is often valued above discipline, purpose, and even truth. Many chase wealth with no destination in mind. They just want to “get the bag”—but don’t understand what to do with it once they’ve got it.

I’ve seen it.

I’ve been it.

I’ve made a lot of money in my life, but truthfully, for much of my journey, I wasn’t financially literate in practice. I understood business finance—I have an MBA. I understood accounting, profit margins, operations. But personal money management? That hit differently.

My mother hustled. She was fruitful with little and made it work. She got the bag out of necessity. But like many parents of that era, she didn’t have the time or bandwidth to teach financial principles—just survival and sacrifice.

So I grew up watching the hustle without learning the structure. And that created a cycle.

Financial Literacy vs. Financial Wisdom

Knowing the terms isn’t the same as knowing the tools.

We often say “they should teach financial literacy in schools,” but the truth is, schools aren’t even hitting the basics of reading and math for everyone. And even if they did teach financial terms, would they teach the habits, the mindsets, and the emotional discipline behind them?

That’s not a curriculum problem. That’s a community problem.

We need programs, organizations, and intergenerational mentorship that teaches people how to:

Delay gratification

Budget without shame

Invest without impulse

Give generously but wisely

And live with intention, not just income

Middle-Class Poverty: The Illusion of Wealth

There’s a growing population that I call the middle-class poor—people who make enough to look successful, but are one paycheck away from crisis. They have houses, cars, vacations, and credit—but it’s all financed.

They’re not building wealth. They’re renting the image of it.

And that’s what scares me. Because when people normalize debt, quick-fix loans, and buy-now-pay-later lifestyles, it traps them in a cycle of earning just to stay afloat.

Financial literacy without financial discipline is just vocabulary.

Who Profits from Our Illiteracy?

This part gets uncomfortable.

Our lack of financial discipline feeds consumer industries. It fuels the marketing machine. If we were all truly financially literate—and more importantly, financially conscious—entire sectors would suffer:

Fast fashion
Payday lenders
Toxic influencer culture
High-interest credit cards
Celebrity-endorsed luxury trends

So ask yourself: Is the system set up to educate us… or to exploit us?

We’re Not Just Chasing the Bag—We’re Raising the Bag

And here’s the hard truth: We’re teaching our kids this behavior.

Not always with words, but with habits:

We give them what we didn’t have, without teaching them how we got it.
We show them money is power, without showing them how to wield it with character.
We chase fast money, then wonder why they won’t stick with a hard-earned skill.

They see us avoiding hard things—math, science, engineering—and running toward clout-based careers that promise fast fame and quick checks. But success without substance isn’t sustainable.

Entrepreneurship ≠ Easy Money

Everyone wants to be a “boss” these days.

But being a business owner is not the same as being an entrepreneur. One manages an operation. The other is a visionary problem solver in a constantly changing environment.

Entrepreneurship requires:

Long nights
Personal risk
Emotional resilience
Technical skill
Leadership under fire

If “get the bag” doesn’t come with grit, then it’s just a gimmick.

Legacy Isn’t Just About Provision

I used to hear the old heads say, “Just get a good job and take care of your family.”

But looking back, I question that phrase.

Many of those men worked hard and brought home paychecks. But they also:

Stepped out on their wives
Were absent from their children’s emotional lives
Didn’t model discipline or faith at home

So I ask: Is money really how we “took care” of our families?

Or were we just following a model of manhood that was incomplete?

Legacy isn’t just about what you provide—it’s about what you plant.

What We Should Teach Instead of “Get the Bag”

We need a new message. A better standard.

Here’s what I believe we should be passing down:

1. Chase Mastery, Not Just Money
Learn a skill. Deepen your craft. The money will come.
Use Money—Don’t Let It Use You
Budget. Save. Invest. Give. But never worship money.
Understand That Wealth Without Wisdom Is a Trap
Don’t just seek the dollar—seek direction.
Be Rich in Spirit Before You’re Rich in the Bank
Integrity is wealth. So is discipline, community, and peace of mind.