It’s been everywhere. Inflation. Rising prices.
The value of money depreciates, slowly, but steadily.
And on a large scale, central bankers use interest rate hikes as an instrument to intervene and try to get inflation down.
But on a much smaller scale … there is me thinking about my relationship with money.
You never went to school. You went to work. Because you got paid for good marks.
It hit hard when a friend told me this. My dad used money as a tool to drive performance and set priorities. And maybe to even express love.
Here is the deal: The better my marks were at school, the more money I was earning. The subjects Programming & IT, Mathematics, and English language would earn me the most. History or Geography would get me nothing. And, I did not get a fixed salary (pocket money) at all!
Today, I can see how my sense-making process has evolved around the subject of money. When I first reflected on this in my early twenties I saw my Dad expressing “love” by paying for good performance. He was proud to look at my tests, give me cash, and hug me.
Later, I learned to see that he acted in alignment with his belief and level of consciousness. He experienced satisfaction in rewarding good performance of (young) adults. His intention was to teach me how life works and to understand that we are living in a debt-based society.
My most recent aha-moment of money boils down to something much more mundane and simple.
Money is a tool. And you can project whatever you want onto it.
Projecting lack onto money: I don’t have enough money. We have always been short of money.
Projecting hard work onto money: I need to work hard for my money. Money needs to be earned.
Projecting safety onto money: If I had x amount of money in my bank account, I would feel safe to do XYZ.
Projecting confidence on to money: If I do X, then I can have money. It takes confidence to be rich.
Projecting creativity onto money: I am using money as a wholehearted, creative expression of who I am.
Projecting gratitude and a sense of joy onto money: I am grateful for money. It is working for me.
Money is what you make it to be.
And it does not work the way that you were told that it works!