Money Worries Should Be Telling (and Teaching) You Something...

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought.  The mind is everything.  What we think we become." ~ Buddha

Are you worried about money?  If so, why?  How often do you think about money, directly or indirectly?  Are we the consumers of money or does money consume us?  Does money really need to receive so much energy and prominence in our lives? 

Let's lead our forthcoming thoughts with some perspective:  Imagine a child stopping to notice a news segment on television or overhearing an adult conversation about the "global economic crisis."  The child notices anxiety in the adult voices as they shake their heads in disappointment and disbelief.  The child then curiously asks, "Why are people so sad and worried about money?"

How would you answer the child's question?

"We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays." ~ Persius

Worry and anxiety is useless energy; however, it does not need to be negative energy, especially if we take the opportunity to reflect on our concerns and honestly determine if there is true validity to be found in those concerns.

We may also take this opportunity to identify our worry and use it as a tool to reflect on what areas of our lives are receiving the greatest allocation of our time, energy and resources, and to determine if our priorities and pursuits are properly aligned. 

"Health is the greatest possession.  Contentment is the greatest treasure.  Confidence is the greatest friend.  Non-being is the greatest joy." ~ Lau Tzu

I could write an entire book on this one quote.  Let's break it into a brief lesson by asking more questions for you to answer in your own mind:

• Health is the greatest possession:  Would you trade your entire portfolio of investments for 30 years of good health?  How about exchanging all of your money for a loved one's good health for the remainder of their life?
• Contentment is the greatest treasure: If you are not content with what you have now, what makes you believe something more will make you content?  Have you ever been more happy in your life with less money than you have now?
• Confidence is the greatest friend:  Does worry need to accompany the unknown?  Is it possible that the unknown holds great opportunity?
• Non-being is the greatest joy: Do you feel as if you have to make things happen for them to happen?  Would you rather be well-known and of little use to others or relatively unknown and of great use to others?

"Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.  No man is free who cannot control himself." ~ Pythagoras

While it is unrealistic, and arguably unhealthy, to attempt absolute control over our thoughts and emotions, it is quite realistic and healthy to become aware of our thoughts and emotions and take appropriate action or inaction.

Perhaps intense feelings about money may reveal that we have unknowingly given it too much energy and prominence in life.

Money worries are quite normal; however, normal is not necessarily a healthy state of being.  Worry has no useful purpose... unless we recognize it, find its cause and give purpose to it.  Only then may we learn and grow from experience.

Without this awareness and consequential learning, we will simply enable another cycle of problems to occur -- and for our worries to manifest again in a similar way in the future...

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Related Post:  The Diminishing Marginal Utility of Wealth

Comments

[Mazliza Othman]

"Money is not everything, but it's pretty close to oxygen in the must-have list."

I don't remember who said this, but I agree with it. Money isn't everything but you can't live comfortably without money in today's world.

And... this is one of my favourite quotes:
"Money can't buy you happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're being miserable.:
-Clare Boothe Luce

[The Financial Philosopher]

Mazliza:

You are absolutely correct! The quotes you shared are humorous and truthful.

My point is, however, that money is necessary for buying products and services that are necessary.

If we find ourselves believing that money is the source of our happiness then we will also find ourselves believing that the lack of money is the source of our unhappiness.

Now that economies and investment portfolios around the world are shrinking, we have an opportunity to reassess the value given to money.

Of course money has some value and it is nearly impossible to live without; however, I submit to you and other readers that the value of money is too high and we can live with less money than we had previously thought...

"Money often cost too much." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for sharing your thoughts...

Kent

[Mazliza Othman]

That's an interesting point you make. I read about a research that found that once you're above the poverty line, more money isn't going to make you happier.

Money contributes to our happiness - in the sense that it allows us to buy the basic necessities - but once our basic needs are fulfilled, more money isn't going to make us happier.

So people who work so hard for money because they think that's the key to happiness should stop and ask themselves exactly what it is they want. Is it really the money?