The Love Of Money

Do you love your money?

What if I were to tell you it is not only okay but a positive thing to love your money?  How would it make you feel?  Your initial reaction may be one of feeling like it is shallow or materialistic, or dare I even say capitalistic!

Isn’t it fascinating how when a group of people chat about money, the adage that money is the root of all evil inevitably becomes the point people are talking about?  This has got me thinking about the concept of money, and obviously, in my line of work, I perceive money and wealth rather differently, and here’s why.

Firstly, there’s a psychology to understanding money.  As most of us are probably aware, the way we were raised and how our family thought about, earned, and used money, will most likely have an impact on how you view money. 

Our psychological makeup works against us, giving us reasons to put off things like an exercise routine or eating a healthier diet. This same behavior, coupled with how most cultures view money, causes us to not make money a topic of open conversation, but something that should be left to the “adults” and better left unsaid.

I have always struggled with how not talking about such an important tool can be a good thing, so here I am, talking about it to anyone who will listen!

You see, money is an inanimate object – a piece of paper if you will.  However, we as humans have attached value to it because of what it can do for us.  Most cultures have put a negative spin on money and that it is only a cause of evil.  But when money is used for good it can have so many endless benefits.  For those people who learn to love their money, and by this, I mean the concept of money and how it is one of the strongest tools ever created by humans, they are better positioned to realize their hopes, dreams, and goals for the future through the use of their money.

What Do People Really Want – Do They Want Money?

Here’s something to get your head around and before dismissing it as quirky or absurd, ponder it and read it a few times. 

What if the reason most people don’t have any money is that they don’t want it?

Most people don’t want it because they have been taught, cultured, to not want it. After all, it is bad.

The problem with this is that we live in a global society that depends on money as a means to do pretty much anything we want.  So actually, people don’t want money so much as they want what it does for them. 

This is the catch-22 if you will, we are taught that money is bad and that we shouldn’t want it, yet we need it to do all, or almost all, the things we want in life.  And I don’t just mean “stuff” here but experiences, education, etc.  Things that are not material but still have significant meaning.

I would argue that if people were taught more about money, the concept of it, how it works, and what can be done with it society at large would be better off.  Wouldn’t it feel better to have enough money to support your ideal lifestyle while also being able to give back to charity or causes you are passionate about? 

If money is taught and used correctly it can have so many positive impacts.

How Much Should We Love Money?

Shifting our focus and possibly our egos will certainly go a long way in ensuring we view money differently.  I’m sure you’ve heard of Suze Orman.  Well, she has a great motto and she always asks people to remember above all else, “People first, then money, then things.” I think she makes a lot of sense and has a great point.
You see when we love things more than people, we have a problem.  Read her motto again – do you see ‘things’ is last in line?  We need to get over our love of things to love and want more money.
When we don’t have enough money from our income for savings, emergencies, or retirement, it is because we don’t respect and value having money.  Perhaps we are not respecting ourselves as we should either.

Do You Love Money or Objects?

As I’ve mentioned before, our attitude towards money is shaped in our formative, childhood years.  Most kids can’t wait to spend their pocket or birthday money.  Teaching our kids, the value of saving their money will teach them to be successful with their money later on in life.  More importantly, we need to teach our children the concept of money.  Yes, it is important to teach them about earning and saving/investing their money, but it goes deeper than that.
If our kids don’t truly understand the concept of money and the awesome responsibility and potential that comes with it then the savings account or larger salary doesn’t mean anything.

Why Should We Value Money?

Here’s a bit of a contradiction – people who value the concept of money more than having objects have more
money.  As a result, the person who values the concept of money over objects has more of this very powerful tool we call money.
Thus, people who understand, respect, and value the concept of money put themselves in a position to make a better life for themselves, their families, and the communities and causes in their lives.  How is this a bad thing?
I acknowledge that money can and has been used to do a lot of bad and this will continue to happen as long as there are bad people in this world.  Remember, money is simply a tool.  It takes people's actions with money to result in a positive or negative outcome. 
I would venture to say that if we focused more on education around the concept of money there would be even more good things happening in our world.  Lack of education, for anything, is the root of all evil, or at least I think so!

How to love your money

As crazy as this sounds, one of the best ways we can shape our attitudes is by way of affirmation.  An affirmation is the action or process of affirming something – try writing an affirmation to help you with your attitude toward money.  For example, you could write something like:

• I love money because of what it does for me, my family, and my community
• There is plenty of wealth in my life
• I breathe in wealth. Every breath I take increases my awareness of the wealth that surrounds me
• I am so grateful for my wealth!
• Whatever you do, I encourage you to take steps to ensure that you learn to love money.

I would like to encourage you to reach out and contact me for a one-on-one consultation to discuss how I can be of assistance to you.  I am passionate about helping people realize their hopes, dreams, and goals and ensuring their peace of mind whilst making those all-important money-saving tips and strategies.

Thank you for reading this post, If you have any questions regarding my services, please feel free to contact me here.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,

Derek Notman