“Money is nothing more than a reflection of your creativity, your capacity to focus, and your ability to add value and receive back.”
– Tony Robbins
Money can be pretty controversial.
I know people who believe that all rich people are greedy. I also know rich people who are greedy. But both fall to the extremes of a much more nuanced spectrum.
Ultimately, I believe we all should try to get as much money as possible in our lives.
Not to the exclusion of our greater purpose — but in accordance with it.
Because the fact is, having more money allows you to do more things, to have a bigger impact, and to challenge yourself to step further and further outside of your comfort zone.
Money isn’t evil.
Money is what you make of it.
You don’t have to be wealthy to live a happy and fulfilled life — far from it! — but being wealthy could certainly allow you to accomplish far more than you’d be able to otherwise.
Here are some common money myths I think we all need to get past…
“Money can’t buy happiness”: While it’s fair to say that money alone can’t buy happiness, when wealth is combined with a clear passion and purpose, it can certainly help you do things you wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. And that can definitely increase your happiness, contentment, and sense of well being.
“Wealthy people are greedy”: This is a reflexive belief. It’s one of those absurd all-encompassing statements that is more an indication of your own pessimism than it is of the reality of the world. Many wealthy people are very generous. In fact, the most generous people I know are also wealthy… partly because they are capable of being generous.
“I’m not a math person, so I can’t manage my finances”: You don’t need to be a math wiz to make or manage a lot of money. You can always hire smart people to help. You just need wisdom. The more money you have, the more wisdom you’ll need to manage it in a meaningful and effective way so you can accomplish your goals.
“I’ll never be wealthy”: If you believe it, it’s probably true. And why limit yourself in such a short-sighted way? What if you were going to become wealthy? What might that look like and how would you do it? Doesn’t hurt to ask the question…
“If I earn more, I’ll be happier”: If ALL you’re chasing is money, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed and depressed at some point down the road, realizing the thing you chased wasn’t the thing you wanted. Money is only meaningful if you make it meaningful.
“Risk is bad”: I get it. Most people are risk averse. That kept our ancestors from doing stupid stuff and getting ourselves killed in ages past. But calculated risk is a good thing. Learning how to take calculated risks is even more valuable. In fact, maybe we’ll do an email on this in the near future…
“It’s too late to start saving or investing”: It’s never too late. As the quote goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”