In many ways, we are all influenced by money. Every day I see countless examples of people striving for more money. Money is the cause of many unwanted human behaviours in society – corruption, deceit, dishonesty, greed, skewed priorities where money wins out over people and living organisms. We are wrecking the planet due to our incessant drive for money.
Yet, if we think about it – capitalistic society has set us up and encouraged this attitude worldwide. Money is important to everyone. Maybe not a top priority but anyone with common sense knows that they need money to survive. But is it money we want or is it what money represents?
Think about what money represents to you? To me, money allows me freedom of choice. It’s not money that I want – I mean, a huge storage depot stashed full of cash wouldn’t do anything for me if I wasn’t allowed to spend it. Money is a means to an end. It’s what we can trade money for that motivates us.
What is it that you want from your life? Money is only a necessary link to what you really want. When you think about money in this way, it makes is easier to prioritise in a healthy way. We all need a certain amount of money to survive but after that, look for how you want to live your life. What are your values? Money in itself will not make you happy or fulfilled and research has shown time and time again that happiness comes from connecting with others not from buying things. Sure – there’s the initial thrill but that soon goes. You can actually become desensitized if you shop too much and need a bigger ‘hit’ every time.
The way to go is to focus on freeing up time to really sit back and enjoy life. That’s the secret. Those foolish individuals who keep working endlessly from morning till night, until they die of a heart attack aged 50 are short sighted. They work so hard for more money but don’t stop to really enjoy their life. What a waste.
Use money to improve your quality of life and don’t get caught up in the capitalistic trap of earning more money. It’s not as fulfilling as people think it will be.
Mandy X
Here is an interesting article on how much money you actually need to be happy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/07/27/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy-2/#598cda372043
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
