True Prosperity

There was a man who appeared to be ragged and financially destitue. He came upon a road boss and he said, "I need work." The road boss said, "Go over there and roll that big stone up and down the hill, and that will fulfill your need." The ragged man responded, "You don't understand. What I really need is money." The road boss said, "You didn't say that. If it is only money you need, here is $50, but you can't spend it." Again, the man was confused. "What I truly need is food, fuel and clothing, not just money." The boss responded, "Again you didn't say that. If you truly need these things, take the money and spend it on food, fuel and clothing, but don't eat the food, nor burn the fuel, nor wear the clothing..." Because of the road boss, the man was forced to look at what he really needed, which was a sense of security, a sense of inner satisfaction. These are all invisible; all are within the mind and made of a divine substance.
-Self-mastery manual

When you break it all down, it wasn't work that he needed, nor was it the money or even the things money can buy. It has something to do with an inner sense of fulfillment, of satisfaction, of being taken care of. It is the ability to be able to manifest all of those things in your life, with or without money or food or fuel or whatever. What you think you need and what you truly need are often very different things. Prosperity is in the now. It is in your mind and in your thoughts. You'll never find it in material things. The only thing you'll find in the material world of things is a need for more material things.