People talk about religion and politics more than they talk about money.
Oh, except for constant dialog about how we don’t have any.
OR that there’s more month left than money.
OR their next great solution to how I can get extremely rich.
I "just" need to “change my thoughts”; “invest”; “not invest”; “work harder”; or “work smarter, not harder”. I have spent time looking at my money history; learning “The Secret”' and changing my thoughts. I have invested a lot of money in courses that were supposed to catapult me into wealth and make me a lot of money...
And here I sit -- bills to be paid -- feeling guilty because I can’t control my thoughts of lack... and knowing for sure that that is the reason the money is not flowing at this moment into my bank accounts.
And no one is talking – except to complain or give advice. I receive so many emails from people promising that if I "just do this" or "do that" I’ll make a lot of money. That may be true, and I’m caught somewhere in the middle of being technically savvy and not knowing how to implement all the wonderful ideas that cost lots of money for me to learn. I have definitely contributed to the wealth of many.
I feel like my truth is right in front of my face and I’m missing it... I have no answers, only thoughts, and more questions. So, as I continue on my journey to wealth, I decided to start a blog where, hopefully, people will exchange their emotional feelings around money. So I'll share mine and you'll share yours and we can be on this journey together.
Although I do not believe MONEY in itself is the route of all evil, it is amazing to see so many people 'turn' in their pursuit for it. Through a calamity of circumstances, I find myself with less and less these days, due to layoffs and cutbacks, and yet... I am happier for it. I am finding my true self; that I truly NEED less than I ever thought, that I WANT for less ( which works if you don't have it...lol) and living a better, fuller life in spite of it.
ReplyDeleteI have found, just in my own finances, what I wasted daily, weekly and monthly, that now I do not need. Savings and fnding ways to save have become more like a game to me, only to 'out-do' myself and I find great pleasure in it. Through the loss of my financial footing, I have found happiness. My family and I have never been closer, never eaten better, never shared and enjoyed the simple things more... and they were there all along; I think that is the saddest part... Learning that what I love and hold dear now, was in front of me all along and because of the 'need' for more and more and more always came first, I didn't see what I REALLY needed... which isn't much.
I applaud you in your first blog, look forward to many more and your effort to see thru the maze and haze of your wants and needs, and I promise to continue to do the same.
Many Blessings
I have oscillated in my beliefs on money all my life, from money is the root to all evil-you can do some awesome stuff with money. I would rather be on the awesome side of the scale because we live in a world where we actually do need some money(unless you want to give away all in your life, take to wandering, asking that your beggar's bowl be filled each day with what you need) I have always "robbed Peter to pay Paul" and that has gotten me into trouble. I just recently had to take an HONEST look at my finances and that was really really really scary (did I mention how scary?) I had a friend who had wanted to help me with that two years ago, but I was too scared! SO i realized that I was spending WAAAAAYYYY too much money on food (and that is very interesting and symbolic as well) And when I say way too much..I spent $700 on groceries in one week (all organic mind you)only to feed myself and my 4 1/2 year old daughter. i took a real honest look st things, and created a budget and made some rules for myself (for the first time in my life) and I have been following then since sometime in March. I haven't had to rob Peter(poor Peter) and Paul's getting paid. So......great now I can manage my money, and my flow of wealth is healthy from me and I have some wealth flowing to me from a Trust. But now the question is how will I CREATE the flow of wealth (cuz that Trust won't last forever, or even for many more years) My relationship with money is improving. I have less fear with it, but I still don't feel comfortable with all the aspects....
ReplyDeleteThis is great, creating a blog to talk about money. Growing up there was A LOT of money and we weren't allowed to talk about it. I asked my dad something about the bills when I was a teen and he told me that was none of my business. No one ever taught me how to make money, save money, spend money, share money directly and learning from the reflection of a thing is sort of blurry.
Blessings Penny
Thrilled to see your writing, your thoughts and your beauty here, Gorgeous Penny!
ReplyDeleteMoney and I are having a rapturous love affair at the moment. As a very practical Taurus, I'm also practiced over the years with all of the budgeting, saving, tithing, and groundedness of money management...although I never mastered it.
Rather than give up, I've spent the last few years getting into the game of it, the play, and making the management of it a friendship and fun.
Barbara Stanny and her wonderful books started me on this honeymoon of an adventure, and then I subscribed to DailyWorth.com, and also Mint.com. The reinforcement of spending a few minutes each day in communion with the reality of my money has begun to carve a new neural pathway in my brain that I can, indeed, do this.
In the past few months it has become a spiritual practice to love the energy of money and become passionate in the good of it. Suddenly money is responding. I'm very excited!
My idea is that balance is key, and the little bits you do add up over time with commitment and attention.
So great to see you stepping out with your magnificence! xoxoxox
one more thing, Rob Breszny (who wrote a book called Pronoia) does this performance art piece where he stands on the side of a busy road with a sign saying, " I love to help. I NEED to give. Please take some money." and he passes out $1 bills. He commented on how it was easy for the guys in the Mercedes to stop and snag a bill, but that he had to CONVINCE people with much less finances.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can gather from the multitude of emails I get from "self-made-millionaires", all any of us need to do is read Napolian Hill's "Think And Grow Rich" then hook into the network of folks who have Thought and Grown Rich, share our contact list and offer to teach people how to think and grow rich for a small fee, (small compared to the stated "Value" of the offering)then sit back and watch the cash flow in.
ReplyDeleteI guess I have trouble with the concept of a growing number of people growing "rich" by offering to teach people how to become rich by teaching other people how to become rich by tea...etc.. I am thinking that this whole process has become the "How to Create Wealth" industry. This may give some insight into my deeper beliefs about my relationship with money, which I will gladly explore on this blog as I believe I will gain some clarity by doing so.
I am at work "earning" my money right now so i will pop in and out with cash thoughts.
Hey Penny, you may have a best selling book in the works here! Love you Lady, bye-bye
Ok,
ReplyDeleteMoney, I have what I need, I want more.
I earn more than I thought I would, it requires more of my time than I want to give AND I still give it, because?
I have assumed responsibilities that require a consistant cash flow. (Can you say "guilded cage"?)
I fluctuate from gratitude for having a job and the income to live comfortably to resentment of having to have a job I have no passion for to create that income.
I am a talented enough musician singer song writer to think I should be able to make a good living doing what i love to do AND I am bogged down with some phsychic blockage that is making it difficult to even get out of the gate.
I think I have to be a better person than I think I am to have what I dream of.
Ok, now we're getting somewhere, good time to get back to work.
Hi Lovely Lady!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. Money.... Money.... Money...
Love it. I have found that, when I dont have it, reminding myself that I am safe and my life is blessed helps a lot. I know that there is more than enough money and that I have all that I need at any given moment. "Need" is the key word here. I have a deal with the Divine. I keep giving and the Universe gives back. It works.
When you get down to the core of the issue, it is not really money we desire, it is the goods and services it buys. It is the potential money creates for us to impose our will upon the world that we are really after. Money itself has always been laughable; pieces of rock, metal or bone,
ReplyDeleteor in its modern day incarnation of ink upon paper. A medium of exchange is all it is, even when used by corrupt international banks to play their game of world domination. It has only as much power as
we give it. The desire for money is an opt-in program.
Yet, as another poster said, we do need at least some of it to exist, but that is because we want to participate in this ever more materialistic society. Some would say we have no choice, we are material beings after all. But just because most of us choose to participate does not mean we have to.
For my part, I do choose to participate.
I have a job, I pay bills, I yearn for the next toy, the next trinket, the next novelty which I think will fulfill my life.
To not have these material longings is to not participate in this material existence, even if I know it's pointless, for everything will eventually pass away, and we cannot hold onto all our precious "stuff".
The desire for money is simply the desire to participate in material life, it's natural and unavoidable in our plane of existence.
But when you ask yourself why you desire money, the answer is usually something non-material, ranging from selfish to altruistic:
I want to be happy,
I want to escape the feeling of "want",
I want to live without worry,
I want to make my family, friends and significant others happy,
I want to eliminate suffering in the world.
Ultimately, we want money (material) for non material ends, this is a contradiction and an impossibility, its a dead end box canyon.
Like the panda in the story, the non material things we ultimately desire can only be obtained by simply deciding we already have them.
This is an excellent discussion, go Penny!
BTW, I love "pennysmoney" as a title, it reminds me of James Bond's Miss Moneypenny.
Money is a good idea to discuss, It seems there are as many opinions about it as there are people, not to mention books, magazines and all other manner of expression. I can only give my own opinions, for what they
ReplyDeleteare worth. Here's my 2 cents...
There is a wonderful little story in a children's book we have called "Zen Shorts" where a panda named uncle Ry is up in the middle of the night only to encounter a burglar in his house.
The burglar (a racoon, of course) is frightened and tries to escape, but not before the panda welcomes him in and insists he take his only coat, tattered and patched. The burglar is even more confused by Uncle Ry's reaction, but takes the coat and runs away. Later, the panda stares at the full moon and thinks "If only I could have given him this moon".
This is my ideal relationship to money; the things that are worth money are in reality worthless, except as gifts freely given.
It is those things outside our power that have true value, and the only way to acquire them is simply to realize you already have them. The moon can only be given to someone with a heart big enough to accept it, and if you have such a heart, you already have the moon.
So much for the ideal. There is another story which I was inoculated with as a child. I'm sure my parents had good intentions with it. I don't remember the title, but I know you will recognize it; the one about a rich man that asks three poor men to take care of his money for a year.
The first poor man gets one bag of gold, which he hides in a cave to keep it safe. The second gets two bags of gold which he uses to buy a boat and go fishing. He sells the fish and earns two more bags by the end of the year. The third man receives three bags and buys a store, thus doubling his share of gold in a year. Needless to say, the rich man comes back at the end of the year and is not impressed with the first man's methods. I think the lesson was "learn to invest what you are given" or "don't hide your gold under a basket" or somesuch. I guess I just felt bad for the guy with the one bag that ended up with nothing.
Letthegirlsing: I, too, am looking at a house full of things that I thought I wanted and they sit on the shelf. I love adventures with friends and traveling to cool places more than buying stuff. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteJessie: I believe that we can eat healthy and not spend so much money. I’m still in that adventure. I’m looking to add more raw foods. The healthier we eat the less food we need to support us. Thank you for your comments.
Oceana: I like the game - play part of money. Playing with the energy of money sounds right down my alley. Thank you for sharing your process.
Brett: I can see you have had some of the same experiences with all those emails. You are a VERY talented musician singer song writer and I want to be able to wiggle my nose and have you living your music and living well. Thank you for taking time from work to share where you are.
Ahriana: Thank you for your contribution to the flow of this money energy today.
And, thank you for reminding us that money does not equal safety. However, for me it equals security. Hmmm – safety vs security. Thank you for posting.
Chikuku: I love your 2 cents. We do live in a material world and as such we have material obligations, mortgage, utilities, food, and health care to name a few. I feel like I live in two worlds at the same time, the responsible one that “needs” to keep current with the bills and keep food on the table and then there’s the world of just being “me”. This me, is the one that loves to dance and play, loves to connect with people, and loves to travel. Now, most of that doesn’t require money – well travel does. I think money is just energy and can balance the divide between the two parts of me. Money’s neither good or bad, and I want more of it – or a way to just be me and have the other needs taken care of. I am happy, I want to live without worry, I want to give the moon and more to my family, friends and significant others, and I want to make a positive difference in the world. I guess I don’t think I can eliminate the suffering in the world. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this post.