Money is everything because we spend our whole lives looking for more and more of these wonderful coins and pieces of paper. We all want more and more money and seek the freedom and options that having money offers.

I found a very interesting and informative article on Exploring Your Relationship With Money that details how we think about money and how evaluating our relationship with money is a prelude (and I quote) first step to make personal and global transformations.

One of the interesting things I took away from this article is the indulgence of money as an alternative to the expression of love. We all buy cards, flowers and gifts to those who mean something to us. We do this exclusively for our loved ones, so spending money is an expression of sentiment and acceptance. If you don’t fully accept this idea, consider how many times you have bought something from an enemy.

Everything costs money. People are driven by an insatiable demand to have more. I will specifically discuss and explore whether or not we have the right attitude towards money in later articles, but there is no doubt that some people base their entire existence on the pursuit and retention of money and wealth. Think of people like Richard Branson and others who are known for their wealth. The way they carry themselves and the confidence they have is based on their success and wealth.

My relationship with money is different from other people I know. I’m very much the type of person who sees money as security. I enjoy the feeling of success having earned it and I enjoy the feeling of security knowing that I can afford things if I need them. I’m not a big spender though that’s because I’m careful with what I have. If someone passed me £100,000 it would be easy for me to spend some of it! The more I have, the more secure I feel and that drives me to save more and spend less. This attitude is shaped by previous experiences and the fact that I have learned what happens and how it feels when you have nothing. Those who have not experienced this will spend freely in the (perhaps mistaken) belief that money will continue to flow to them as it always has before. Rich kids are the typical example of this type of behavior. Try telling an 18 year old that a credit card is bad. Until they experience month after month after month of paying a bill, the lesson cannot be taught, it must be lived.

I often imagine what it would be like to not strive to earn money through work or this second business, to live in a remote location in a self-sufficient household and just focus on living. What would the interests be? What would we do as a family all day? Similar to a life with plenty of money, the moment you get a lot, you suddenly lose the feeling that it matters. The paradox of money is that it loses importance the more you have.

The secret to making sure your relationship with money is healthy is to focus on the other areas of your life that are important and maintain a good balance. Money is important, but relationships, health, fitness, and other things are important too. Lynne Twist sums it up perfectly when she says “When our life of money aligns with our heart and soul, that is financial well-being, that is prosperity”, While you need to focus, there is a line you shouldn’t cross that completely haunts you. I think you have to be happy with moderate money to expect to be truly happy with abundant wealth.