ISSUE NO. 26 / FETEPRESS.COM.AU 85
Yes, some money problems are perhaps
better to have than others, but everyone
has money problems. All of us have to
manage our finances and exist in a world
where money is exchanged for value. If we
want to pay the mortgage, the school fees,
the wages or the grocery bill we have to
manage our finances and be intentional
about how we earn, spend, have and save
our money.
Where all of us run into trouble is in
believing, consciously or unconsciously,
that more money is the key to happiness.
This belief is what keeps us grasping for
more, clinging to the idea that out there,
in the not to distant future, once we
have more of it, life will be all rainbows
and unicorns and flat abs and breezy
summer days.
We all fall prey to this thinking and it
is this thinking that keeps us from
actually experiencing our life.
Money does make some areas of our life
easier and it does solve a lot of problems.
But it is not the cure to all suffering.
In life we are all wandering around
thinking that the next stop, that next
mountain top, is where we will find peace,
where we will find that thing we are
looking for. For many of us that thing, we
think, is dollars in the bank or things that
money can buy, a new car, a beautiful
house, a luxury holiday. But we all know,
deep down, this is a lie we tell ourselves,
that we are fed every day from all the
messages we receive.
Buy the green juice, get the body, have the
car, build the perfect house and then, then
you will be happy.
We know it is just an illusion. There is no
amount of money, no material possession
or experience that will secure us a life of
meaning, joy and peace.
That thing that we think is out there,^
is right here. If it isn’t right here, inside
us, available to us right now, then it is
nowhere my friends.
Understanding this and living this is the
biggest challenge of all. But it is the key
to a meaningful life.
Knowing this, how we choose to think
about money is very important and for
many of us we need to practice a new way
of thinking about money because our
current beliefs are not serving us.
How you think and feel about money
affects how much you make, how much
you have and how much you give.
Most people want to live a life of
abundance. They want to feel secure and
confident in their financial future and be
able to give more value to the world. What
this looks like for each individual differs,
but the desired feelings are the same.
The challenge is that most of us focus on
money. On the need to make more of it,
rather than the giving part of the equation.
We think we need to make more in order
to give more. We have it the wrong way
around.
If we want to change our current
experience of money it is important to
understand where our beliefs about money
come from, get clear on what we want to
create for our future and then decide
afresh how we want to think and feel
about money going forward.YOUR CURRENT BELIEFS
In order to change anything we must first
update our thinking because what got us
to where we are won't get us to where we
want to go.- WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU
HEAR THE WORD ‘MONEY’? HOW DO
YOU FEEL WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
IT? DO YOU FEEL ABUNDANT, SCARCE,
SHAME, DESIRE, FEAR?
All of us have beliefs about money. Many
of these beliefs are unconscious. Shaped
in our childhood and by past experiences.
For many of the people I work with, their
stories are based in fear, shame, scarcity
and irresponsibility.
These beliefs are important to understand
because they impact on how we feel and
act when it comes to finances.
Some of the limiting beliefs many of us
have when it comes to money include:
MONEY IS HARD.
I HAVE TO WORK MORE, TO MAKE MORE.
I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH.
I AM NOT GOOD WITH MONEY.
I SPEND MORE THAN I MAKE.
MAKING MORE MONEY COMES AT A
SACRIFICE TO MY FAMILY TIME.
I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE
MORE MONEY.
I NEED TO SPEND LESS TO REDUCE
MY DEBT.
Beliefs about how you earn it, spend it, have
it, invest it and save it are the precursor to
how you behave today, tomorrow and next
week in your inancial life.
Problems arise when these beliefs are not
aligned with what you want to create in
your finances.STORY / LAURA CARROCCIGIVE MORE TO MAKE MORE
Money is a reality of life – it is part of the system in which we all consume, produceand measure value. Like it or not, it is a reality of our human life. Everyone has moneyissues. Not enough. Too much. Fear of losing it all. Fear of never making ends meet.Others expecting you to support them. Guilt. Shame. Worry.health / WELL-BEING