My father felt money meant respect. Nobody will respect you if you don’t have any money, he used to say. He and many in his generation placed great value on other’s respect, and the money that delivered that respect. I enjoy the freedom that money provides me, and the peace that provides when I have it. Others value the power that money bestows. Our human struggle of determining what makes us happy and what gives meaning to our lives becomes reality by the things we do with our money.
If you want to learn about yourself, pay attention to how you use your money; pay attention to the actions you and your money evoke, your “money actions.” Do you spend, do you save, do you give, do you invest, do you splurge? These actions paint a picture of who you are and what you hold dear. Getting out of debt, or being on a budget, or saving for college are difficult challenges because they are an expression of who you are. If these come easy to you, they are part of you, but if you want to do those things, and they don’t come easily, it is very hard to change, not only because you are changing a behavior, but you are shaping and changing your values, your very being; you are attempting to reshape you.
Money as an Indicator of Values
One of the greatest indicators to determine what I value is watching how I spend my money, or rather how I choose not only to spend, but what I do with the money I earn. When I feel anxiety about the uncertainty of the economy, I save. Saving money provides me with peace and security. There is only one thing at a time I can do with money, I am valuing my security above all else. Once I chose to save money, there is nothing else I can do with that money. I can’t save it and spend it. As I observe myself, I see that security and peace are values that I hold, and my “money action” shows me it is a value of mine at that point in my life.
