The disconnect between life and money

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. - Buddha

It’s that time of the month. You know you have to pay the bills but you don't want to do it. 

Your palms are sweaty and your stomach drops as you log into your bank account.

And your feelings take over. 

Anxiety. Worry. Shame. Maybe excitement? 

It’s easy to think that it’s the money in your account that is giving you these feelings. After all, the money in your account says alot about you, doesn’t it? More money would make you happier, right?  No. It doesn’t work that way. How you feel about money is never created from how much you have (or don’t have). 

In fact, the money you have in your bank account right now is completely neutral. It’s only a circumstance. Money is neither good nor bad. It just is. It has no meaning until you give it meaning.

It can be whatever you want it to be. 

And that is exactly what we do. We give money so much power. We are formed by a society that values money above everything else. Above the planet, above community, and above ourselves. It has become an ingrained, unconscious and unexamined set of assumptions that rule us all. A lense that we experience the world through.

Why is it that when it comes to every other aspect of our lives we prioritize connection, love, and joy but as soon as it comes to money we get grumpy, competitive and greedy? This disconnection is so fascinating to me. It’s a disconnection from ourselves. 

You’re not alone here. It’s part of the culture we’re raised in. The same culture that tells us to be kind and generous also convinces us that more is always better. So as soon as things get hard most people check out, or move on to something new. “New is better, it’s more fun, it holds more potential than the old, it’s the best!” You are conditioned to be a consumer rather than doing the gritty work of getting to know you and what you really want. 

No matter what you hear on the news or read in books, the choice is always yours to think and believe whatever you want about money. And it is these thoughts, whether good or bad, that will create your feelings, which create your actions, and in turn your results. 

Step number one is to turn towards what you already have. Appreciate it. Savor it. Trust it.

Wherever you are with your money right now, know that you’re going to be okay. You have enough for today, and you can create more from a place of loving what you have right now.

The beauty is that when all the stuff that is projected onto money is removed, money almost always shows up with the same energy as blessings. It’s warm, benevolent and unattached. Supporting, nurturing and available.

This experience is open for you too.

All you have to do is to take a long hard look at your day to day thoughts about money and your relationship with yourself.