Is money a hot topic in your house? Does thinking about it stress you out? Do you frequently feel if only your salary was a little bit higher you would be able to meet your family’s needs better?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is time to dig deeper and take a closer look to see if money is truly the problem, or your relationship with it.
If only, if only…
Life can be downright expensive! Especially when you have a family and the list of monthly expenses seems to swell as your children age, sometimes to what feels like a bursting point. The healthiest food choices are not always budget friendly, forcing you to get creative and prioritize. Not to mention those SURPRISE expenses, which no one expected.
Although it takes some work to reprogram your inner wiring, having a healthy relationship with money is not only do-able, it is incredibly rewarding.
Here’s the thing about money: No matter how much you make, you can always spend more. It doesn’t matter if you’re living in a castle on the hillside, or a modest family home. It is easy to find lots of things you need just a little bit more money for. Your finances will be all set if you just make ‘x’ more dollars. The funny thing is when you do finally get that raise somehow ‘x’ seems to grow to a slightly bigger number.
The Biggest Obstacle: Contentment
For many of us our biggest obstacle with having a healthy relationship with money is contentment. This is not something we are taught a lot about. Imagine a class in school that teaches kids to be content so when they grow up to be adults they’re happy with what they have. They stop and think about what they actually need instead of taking excess and wanting more, more, more.
In my own family I’m struggling to teach contentment to my children. We can be outside playing in the beautiful summer grass, and I decide to give them a freezie. Mere seconds later, my kids are already asking what other treats they can have. Or we’ll be at the grocery store and I’ll tell the kids we can buy new paints to make art. They get really excited and happy, but as soon as the paint is in hand, they want to know if they can get a toy, too. I know that teaching my children contentment is no easy task, but it is essential to their well-being and overall happiness.
From the time we are little, it is in engrained in us to want more and take more. For example, food: the amount I actually need and the amount I take sometimes can be very different. If we all took only what we needed, there would be food enough for everyone on the planet. Instead, we take too much and waste too much. Excess damages us, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
The Key to Having a Healthy Relationship with Money
The key to having a healthy relationship with money, which applies to many areas of our lives, is to see what we have as enough. It really is all about perspective here. We need to decide the feeling of lack is not our truth. The real truth is we can make budgets with the amount of money we do have and stick to them. We may want a bigger house, but do we need one? We may want new clothes, but do we need them?
Take the time to set up budgets within your income amounts and look at those budgets not as perfect for what you need. The budgets are little stopping points to keep you from going over into excess. Taking too much harms our environment and fills up our landfills. What we need is so very different from what we want, and the wants can go on infinitely if you let them.
Money is Energy
See money as a flow of energy. It flows in and out of your life. Don’t fear money. Allow it to flow the way all things do. Everything is a cycle, even money. When you focus on everything you do have, instead of what you don’t have, your money is enough.
Decide not to compare to anyone else, but to acknowledge how grateful you are that your true needs are met. You can make money work for you if you simply choose to let go of excess want. The energy of letting go is a powerful force in life; it creates happiness and abundance.
With love & gratitude,
Wendy Irene
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