My youngest child has begun to stand. She is pulling herself up on her own, no longer needing anything to grab, and fights her way to her feet. There, she will wobble for almost 10 seconds before falling back, flat on her bum. This also means that she is now getting very quick at crawling around on the ground and attempting to put every little piece of everything graspable into her mouth.
A few days ago, I was rustling around in the kitchen when I overheard my wife calling out to her “Don’t put that in your mouth! Money is dirty!” She had honed in on a little dime that found its way onto our living room floor. “Wait a sec…” I had heard almost this exact sentence, word for word, about a year and a half prior at a business marketing seminar. One of the topics discussed was around people’s experiences with money. From an extremely early age, it is almost ingrained in many of us that “money is dirty.” We are programmed to associate money with germs and “dirty dealings” from a very young age. The more money a person has, the “dirtier” or “germier”they must be. Or they must have “sold themselves to the Devil,” or maybe they “just use everyone to get more money.”
These ideas seem to be rampant. Some personal friends of mine that are very open-minded and non-judgmental have even made similar remarks around how most wealthy people have “sold themselves out” or are just “sleazy business people.” When I meet people who are quite wealthy, such as making seven-figure incomes, they seem to be the opposite of the stereotype. Of the ones I have met personally, these people are often very well-grounded, and are firm in their good beliefs and values. So why the incongruity?
Perhaps those subtle comments we hear from those around us really do shape our thoughts about money. That “money is dirty,” or “he may be rich but he’s probably a jerk” or the “I wonder who she slept with to be so successful” or whatever other passive, negative judgment a person may make. The end result: we hear these comments, and being social creatures not wanting to upset our peers or maybe someone very close to us (a parent perhaps), often go along with these ideas, and unconsciously they form us. They become a part of us. These snide comments from the people closest to us show us how we should view money and how we should view people who have lots of it.
Here is a challenge for you: what beliefs around money do you have? Can you trace them back to their origin? What view do you have of people who have a lot of money? Why do you think this way about them?
One of the most enlightening books I’ve ever read on this topic is “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. He describes money as no different than a hammer: merely a tool to be used how we see fit. The trick is to master how to use the tool, so as not to let it harm you. A jackhammer is a powerful tool when used correctly, but can be a dangerous crushing death-machine for someone who has no clue how to operate it!
The same is true for money. For those who know how to master it, it becomes a tool of great value to them. For those who do not learn to master it, it becomes a force that can cause almost unparalleled stress in their life. Think debt, big mortgages, revolving credit just to pay things off… Huge stressors for those living in these circumstances, which, I hate to acknowledge, is most of us.
Isn’t it time, as a society, that we learn to master the use of money? What if we could take back control of it? What if we could teach the next generation how to take control of it?
It is my curious nature…What are your thoughts and beliefs around money? It would be interesting to hear some views in the comments below.
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