Money is a form of energy. Make it, lose it, save it, use it, abuse it, hoard it, love it or hate it…how you use money reflects your values. Look where your money flows to know where your energy goes.
What is your earliest childhood memory about money?
My first vivid memory of money was being 6 years old. I had saved $60, mainly in $5 bills, stuffed into the bottom hole of a bookend.
I went into the hallway outside my bedroom, threw my money in the air, and exclaimed, ‘I’m RICH! I’m RICH!’
LOL.
I must have received a message that being rich is good (i.e. total 80s child…Richie Rich, Lifestyles of Rich + Famous)
My parents were not rich. They were regular middle class, lived within their means, and very frugal.
But how did a 6-year-old have $60?
My parents did not provide allowance, but my grandmother gave me $5 a month, every month. I saved that $5/month and probably some money from a birthday.
I have always saved money to feel safe.
I believe that is why even at 6 years old, I had $60.
I would live in my money-saving neurosis for a long time, until I had to release it to pay medical bills, therapy, alternative modalities, and supplements when I became very sick in 2006.
Hitting my physical, emotional, and psychological low forced me to wake up to illusions I had created to feel safe.
One of those illusions was that money made me safe.
Don’t get me wrong. Having enough money to cover your living expenses, savings, retirement, healthcare, + some fun makes life easier…WAY easier. <my hubs and I have been through 3 lay-offs, going back to school full-time as an adult, and one medical crisis…I’m not naive here.>
But money did not make me safe.
I used money-making and money-saving to feed my wound of not feeling safe.
There wasn’t any mount of money that would fill that gaping hole.
Over the past 9 years, I’ve healed a lot around my weird relationships with money and safety.
I learned how I use money is a reflection of what I choose to honor in my life.
You can use money to feed your wound, or feed your values.
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Here are 4 Patterns of Money Use…
which of these do you relate to?
WITHHOLDING
It’s a challenge to part with money, especially on yourself. You have money in the bank (even if it is not as much as you’d like), but don’t step forward to invest in something that would improve your well-being, career, or relationships.
Examples include a refusal to pay out-of-pocket for health care, purchasing sub-quality products because they are cheap but have to be replaced more often, putting back the $15 blouse at TJ Maxx you love but don’t need (I’m so guilty!).
If you withhold, what wound are you feeding?
If you released the money instead, what would you really be saying yes to?
AVOIDANCE
You have no clue how much money is in your checking, savings, and/or retirement account right now. You may not even know your exact annual salary. It’s a shock when the credit card statement comes each month.
If you avoid, what wound are you feeding?
If you were to really look at your financial landscape, what truth would you have to take responsibility for and feel?
DISTRACTION
You love retail therapy. In-store. Online. It’s so cute! It’s so fun. Dang, it works every time! Your closet, garage, or basement may be filled with ‘stuff’ you don’t need or use.
If you use money to distract yourself, what wound are you feeding?
What could you use that money for that would feed your values instead?
INVESTING
You make money and use money in equal proportion. In general, you don’t overwork, overspend, or over-save. You aren’t afraid of a financial risk if the investment is for the greater good. You know money comes and money goes. You use money consciously to invest in people, products, and yourself that make you and the planet a better place.
If you use money to invest in your truth and values, what wound are you feeding?
What are you saying yes to?
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How you use money has power.
Whatever you put money into, you support. You help build. You help grow. You say yes.
Whatever you withhold money from, you reduce its strength. You weaken its potential. You lessen the impact. You say no.
Need some tangible examples?
Here are some personal examples of shifts I’ve made to honor my values and be less of a withholder and more of an investor:
- Saving less to live more now (honoring presence + moderation)
- Increasing my food budget – after watching Food Inc., I vowed to never purchase factory farm meat again…and I haven’t (honoring compassion + animal welfare + well-being)
- Getting rid of cable…seriously. I only have Netflix (valuing time and not supporting noise)
- Foregoing vacations + other ‘nice to haves’ to invest in coach training, yoga training, and meditation training (honoring truth + stillness)
- Selling our $320K almost-dream-home to downsize to a $160K home so my husband could go to film school and I could start my business (honoring truth)
- Purchasing few, if any, Christmas gifts (last year I only purchased for my nieces and nephews – honoring peace + stillness)
When you use money as a practice to honor your vision + values, you create a life you want to wake up to instead of one of dread, monotony, anxiety, and stress.
You can use money to feed your wound, or feed your values.
What is one way you will shift how you use money to honor your vision + values?
Drop a line below – I want to hear!
Look Within,
Angela
