Thoughts on Money: Does Money Change People?
Does money change people? What are your thoughts about money? I believe that money (either having more, little or no money) reveals our money belief systems at this point in our lives. Because we all have various belief systems, we also behave differently when it comes to money matters.
Money is Not Evil
Many of us believe that money is evil. Money is not evil! Money actually provides you the things you need – food, clothing, shelter, cell phone, laptop, a plane ticket to your favourite vacation spot and so on. But I can’t say I blame you for thinking that money is evil. I too have thought of the dangers of having money. As a young adult then, I watched families fighting over money. Relationships have been destroyed because of the greed for money. And hence, I came to an inner resolution. I want to live simply! Money will not make me evil. I will not allow money to turn myself into a monster! Choosing to live simply became my motto and my way of life.
It was fine until people who do not have money entered my life. I met a young lady who worked during the day so she could go to a night school. I watched her eat a big plate of rice with a tiny fish to go with it. I heard her say how she needed money for her projects and went on to find another part time job during weekends. I see how badly she wanted to finish her education and how tired she often gets. There were many times she wanted to give up but she didn’t. This struck me the most, “I want to get out of the cycle of poverty so I am determined to finish school.” I wished then I have more than enough money to spare to help her finish school.
Yes, she eventually graduated from college, worked and is currently supporting her nieces so they in turn can get out of poverty by finishing school. I realized then that how we view money, how we use money really depends on us. Yes, we can use money for evil purposes but we also have a choice to use money in a good way. Money gives ample opportunity to bring out the best in people.
The Belief of Scarcity or Abundance
If money is not evil, why then would people become greedy?
Check your thoughts and beliefs. Do you believe in the law of abundance or scarcity? The law of abundance simply means that there is more than enough for everyone while scarcity means there is not enough.
If you believe that there is overflowing supplies of money, love, hope, opportunity to go around, why then would you be greedy? You would be free to share whatever you have because you know that there is more where it came from. The cycle of giving and receiving would flow beautifully and naturally.
However, if you believe in scarcity then there is the tendency to cling and hold on to what you have for fear that the supplies of money, love, hope, opportunities might be depleted.
The truly rich people are generous because they believe in the law of abundance.
What size is your psychological wallet?
Enlarge your Psychological Wallet
A wise man by the name of T. Harv Eker says it wonderfully, “There is a secret psychology to money. Most people don’t know about it. That’s why most people never become financially successful. A lack of money is not the problem; it is merely a symptom of what’s going on inside you.”
The very first time I heard about examining my psychological wallet, I was stunned. It was so true. The primary reason why many of us are poor is because we actually don’t want to be rich. C’mon! Get out of here! Oh yes, remember when I was a young adult, I made it my choice not to be rich because I feared what money can do to people. For some of us, having lots of money seem not to fit. It’s not who we are.
At this point, you have to examine yourself and be honest with yourself. Do you feel guilty for having more when others have less? Do you fear money? Are you angry with money? Do you feel undeserving for having money?
The poor have small psychological wallets while the rich have huge psychological wallets. The truly rich have big psychological wallets because they have gotten rid of the belief that the money is evil; instead they believe in the law of abundance and know that money can do a lot of good for themselves, their families and community.
What is your money comfort zone? Can you envision yourself with a ten thousand dollar in your bank account or millions?
A Funny but True Story
A few friends gathered together and decided to buy the lottery. Here’s the thing. Not all of us live in the same country. Yes, we were just online friends. We bought one ticket per draw and made a pact that if we won, we would divide the money equally. A lot of things went on inside each one of us as we underwent our lotto journey. As we saw the jackpot prize grew higher and higher, we noticed how uncomfortable we have become.
Many thoughts came hurtling in. What if we won? Will the money cause arguments? What will I do with the money really? Voices from outsiders even joined in. One friend confessed that someone had told her, “Could you trust these people living miles away?” A friend of mine also asked, “If you win, what guarantee will you have that the person will be honest to share the whole thing?”
It was crazy but for us there was no question about trust. What we grappled the most were our money belief systems. One day, I was resting during lunch break as I contemplated that the prize draw that week had reached 900 plus million pesos (if converted from US dollars). I had to ask aloud. “What’s next after the 999 million? Is it already 1 billion?” One of our teachers answered, “Yes, it’s 1 billion!”
That jolted me out of my seat! Imagine that having 1 billion in my hands!
Good-bye to Lotto
We eventually decided to end our lotto journey after three months. The whole experience taught me a lot about myself. I was able to examine my money belief systems and face it head on. I even wrote a one million dollar hub and moving on to a billion dollar plan! I also realized that I don’t need the lotto to be rich. That I can use whatever talents and skills I have to be rich. This takes work, sure, but it will help me build character and develop a mindset of abundance.
At the end of the day, I understood that I still wanted to live simply. But I already know that if I become rich, I wanted to create opportunities for people so they in turn can create opportunities for others.
Does money change people? Yes it can. And you can choose to be changed for the better.
BY: Michelle Simtoco