A New Relationship With Money

Long before the financial crisis, we’ve been experiencing a crisis in our relationship to ourselves, one another, and our planet. To one degree or another we’ve been suffering from a false sense of who we are, identifying ourselves with our possessions, and believing that our material position determined our worth. As a result, we are now faced with a generation of young, and not-so-young people, struggling to put things into perspective.

While people around the world protest against the inequities of our monetary system, the fear or necessity that has driven us to spend beyond our means, leaves us feeling powerless and out of control, undermining our relationship and family lives. In its own way a poverty mentality, this must now be replaced with a loving, prosperity consciousness that recognises our interconnectedness and the impact of our choices on the whole.

Right now we can alter the misconceptions that years of rampant consumerism have created. In order to redress the balance and create a healthy future we must begin to think and act differently. When the pressure eases it will not be enough to simply breathe a sigh of relief and return to the same behaviour patterns that got us here in the first place. Nor will we bring about recovery by swinging from one extreme to another!

Money is energy and it is infused with the energy with which it is spent. If love drives our spending; if we choose to invest our money in the products and services that enhance the quality of our lives and the planet, then the results of that spending will also be life-affirming. Whatever is going on in the economy, it is a ‘false economy’ to think you’ll be happy by putting your energies into things which are not in sync with your heart. Until we decide what really matters to us, what is important beyond the material, beyond looking good, nothing of any substance is really going to change!

We can use the current financial instability to get ourselves back on track. How? We could bring integrity to how we earn and spend money. We could teach our children the value of money, how to be responsible with it and respectful of the work that goes into earning it. We could say ‘NO’ when that is an appropriate choice, knowing we can then say ‘YES’ to something else. We could teach our children about budgeting and saving and debt reduction, about delayed gratification and how to practice restraint without fear – some of which we ourselves may need to learn or re-learn!

We could remember that every ‘thing’ we own has come from Mother Earth and that buying things we don’t need encourages manufacturers to produce products which rob the Earth of her valuable resources. While material items make our lives easier or more comfortable or more enjoyable, they do not determine our value – that is sacrosanct!

So … let’s behave in accord with the times we find ourselves in. Let’s support one another to challenge the thinking that has caused so much difficulty and competitiveness. If we hold our nerve and focus on the positive, rather than falling into the abyss of fear, we will get through this, one step at a time, one day at a time.

Inner Sense No. 26 | October 2011

As always … please take what you like and leave the rest.  This is not intended as financial advice but rather a chance to stop and consider how you could relieve some of the pressure you might be feeling and share that with others for your mutual wellbeing.

For Australian Commonwealth Government Financial Counselling please follow this link.

Thanks for sharing!

Diane

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