Full-Color Friday: Money Edition

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants. – Benjamin Franklin

Money is defined as something we exchange for goods and services.

Full-Color Friday: Money Edition

We work, and our work is decided to have a certain monetary value. The more we work, the more money we get. We use the money we earn to obtain good and services. Pretty simple, right?

But we all know it’s not that simple. Money is so much more than just money. People use money to fill a number of holes in their lives.

Money is Power.

Money is used for domination and control. Just look at how money and donations control our government and dictates who will get elected. People listen to people with money.

Money is Security.

Money can act as an emotional safety blanket. When asked what emotion comes up most frequently when thinking about money, more people responded with “anxiety” than any other emotion. Having whatever you think is “enough” in savings can reduce this anxiety. But if you need to dip into that, or the balance falls below a certain amount, the anxiety can be overwhelming.

Money is Love.

Who hasn’t seen someone, maybe yourself, who’s tried to buy love with money? Kids sometimes think they can “buy” their friends. We buy expensive gifts to show our love, or we think the monetary value of the gifts we receive reflects the amount of love behind them.

Money is Freedom.

Sometimes we think, the more money we have, the less we are under the control of others. We can be free of debt to others, others’ can’t tell us what to do or how to do our job. With “enough” money, we fantasize that no one will tell us how to spend either our money or our time.

Here are some links to help you start understanding your relationship to money:

Understanding and Sharing Your Emotional History with Money

Here’s a document from the Utah State University Extension. It’s 3 pages long, but it’s a good start with questions to ask yourself about your own family’s history with money and the attitudes you’ve carried with you from that history.

Creative vs. StructuredLogic

In this short article, money coach Tracia Larimar says that all of us are somewhere on a continuum between creative and logical nature, and that money problems arise if we are too much of one type and there is a lack of balance.

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

That’s kind of a mouthful. This book has long been considered the bible for reforming your relationship to money. Online and real life study groups abound. There’s a reason it’s been so popular for so long – it’s no-nonsense and straightforward about how to think straight about money. Most people attracted want to simplify their lives and get out of the rat race, so there’s some leaning towards off-the-grid thinking here. But the book has staying power and much good information.

Comments

  1. Ann Becker-Schutte says:

    Colleen,

    I know that my own journey with money has been an interesting one. Being a small business owner and a helping professional has included several different money challenges. Thanks for the helpful resources!

    Ann

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