"Ugh! Why Do We Even Need Stupid Money?"
At some point, we’ve all said it, or some version of it anyway:
“I wish I didn’t have to think about money!”
“Why does money have to be such a big deal?”
or even just plain ol’, “I hate money!”
Usually, these words come in conjunction with trying to make the almighty dollar stretch a little further at the end of the month, just to realize that it isn’t going to be enough… again.
Ok, let’s just take a minute to feel each other’s pain, we’ve all been there…
Well friends, bad news, as you’ve guessed, money is essential to our lives. And, not just in a material sort of way. But, in EVERY way. Physiologically, emotionally, and physically, money has become central to our very existence as human beings.
Now, money doesn’t just get this status simply because it pays the rent, or buys our groceries. Noooo. It gets its clout because it literally influences every single level of needs that we, as human beings, require. From our most basic of needs of food, shelter and sex, to our tippy-top needs of creativity, spontaneity, and morality, money gets a say in how safe we feel and how fulfilling our lives can be.
It stinks. But, it’s true.
Here’s why…
Think back to your freshman psychology class. You may recall the introduction of an amazing little pyramid called “Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”. The gist of this pyramid is that, as a human, each one of us requires certain things to survive, then thrive, then flourish. These requirements are listed in a certain pyramidal hierarchy. The trick to the whole thing is that a person is unable to realize the things in the upper (self-actualizing) levels of the pyramid, until the lower (basic needs) levels are first met.
For example, a person in not likely to achieve much in the way of business success if they have no food to eat and no place to live. Their focus is obviously on trying to survive. Only after all of that person’s basic needs are met, are they able to devote energy, time, and focus to climbing that corporate ladder.
Photo Credit: https://medium.com/manager-mint/the-millennials-and-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-a36415bd2f51
Thank you Mr. Maslow for giving us all a little insight into the human species!
Here’s the kicker though, over time, as we’ve become a human society that functions primarily around a currency based economic system, the power of money has seeped into every level of Maslow’s Hierarchy. Now, we need it… not just to secure the basic necessities, but to actually feel free, and fulfilled and self-actualized.
Here’s a little example for you:
There used to be a time in history when we (human kind) were directly responsible for realizing our own food and shelter. The basic necessities of life. We provided those securities for ourselves. We created them with the sweat of our brow. We grew, hunted, or foraged our own food, and we built our own dwellings. Doing this gave us satisfaction and security, as we knew that, through our own control, our family’s most basic needs would be met.
Fast forward to a money wielding society. We’ve taken these basic needs for lodging and food, and have exchanged them with the need for money to buy our lodging, and the need for money to buy our food. We’ve positioned money as a key requirement on the very lowest level of Maslow’s pyramid. We, quite literally, must have it to procure the things that will allow us to survive. Without it we can’t even meet our basic needs, let alone have the ability to grow and flourish.
The frustration and anxiety we feel around money is often the result of a subconscious fear that we won’t be able to meet even the most foundational elements of our needs. In addition to this, think of the stagnation we are faced with because we are unable to access the more personally fulfilling levels of self-actualization.
The same sort of thing happens all up and down Maslow’s hierarchical pyramid. Feel free to take a look at the pyramid yourself to see if, and how, you think each level is affected by money.
Sooo… this is probably the exact thing that you were hoping NOT to hear. Rightfully so. It can be a pretty overwhelming thing to think about, especially when you and money aren’t exactly on the best of terms anyway. And now, I’m telling you it’s more pervasive than you though?!? Great. Thanks.
But, instead of getting down about it, let’s take this information and make it work for us!
In my book, knowledge is power! ALWAYS. EVERY TIME. Knowledge brings dark things into the light and helps us to see them clearly. Everything looks a little less scary in the light. Embrace what you’ve learned today! Look it squarely in the face, and see plainly how it has been playing a role in your life. It is more empowering that you can imagine just to be able to do that.
Then, once you’ve smacked the Maslow-money idea right between the eyes, get excited! Yes, excited! I know, sometimes grinding our way through the lower levels of our essential needs is PAIN-ful. But, let’s not think about that right this minute… instead, let’s think about that tippy-top level of your pyramid when money is working for you instead of against you. Think about it:
What will you be doing when you get to that top rung of self-actualization?
What does life look like, feel like, sound like?
What are you doing there that makes you feel fulfilled?
What things do you get to enjoy just by being there?
In what ways does money now serve you?
How does it provide for the spontaneity, creativity and spiritual growth that you experience?
Get excited about your life to come! Get excited about reaching that point where money doesn’t have the power to control your life, like it once did. Imagine it. Feel it. Don’t worry right now about how you will get there. With time, and a little bit of interior money work, you surely will. Right now, just imagine… and enjoy!
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