Can we have more money without more problems? Money is just another form of energy. The true value of money is not based on how much we have, but rather how well it supports our life purpose and values. If money were not an issue, what would you do with your time? These are the truly valuable parts of life and the presence (or absence) of money influences the extent to which we are able to enjoy these priorities. Since our money is intimately linked to other ares of our life, a money drain is also a drain of our life energy. Below are five symptoms of people experiencing a money/life drain.
There are five symptoms of money/life drain.
1. Financial burdens, debt, out of control expenses. Whether on a household, local, or national level, debt has become an American staple and many of us are crippling under the weight of our debt burden. Debt implies that we are spending money that we do not have and requires that we pay for that “privilege”. While it can be reasonable to go into debt for things that will increase in value or increase our income potential (housing, education), carrying a large debt or going into debt for things that do not appreciate undermines our financial security both now and in the future.
2. Inability to save and pressure to earn/work more. For many Americans, the immediate response to the earlier problem of debt and financial problems is to work more and make more money. Imagine that there is a hole in the bottom of a cup. You want to drink a cool glass of lemonade but as you fill the glass, the lemonade continues to pour from the bottom. Adding more lemonade to the glass without filling the leak is not going to quench your thirst. Likewise, until you address the leak in your financial system, adding more money will not relive your financial burden. As my financial coach Lynn Richardson always says “more money does NOT solve a money problem…if it did millionaires would not go broke.” Although working longer hours to earn more does not solve our financial problems, it does help to exacerbate the next symptom of money/life drain.
3. Stressed relationships. There are studies that suggest as much as 90% of all divorces are connected to conflicts about money. Again conflicts about money cut across all income levels. However, the attempt to solve money problems by working more exacerbates the strain on relationships because people have less time to spend with family and friends.
4. Increased stress and decreased health. Stress is both an emotional and a physical condition. The stress and worry that accompanies financial burdens decreases our sense of security and self-esteem. It can also produce headaches, frequent infections, muscular twitches, fatigue, skin irritations, breathlessness as well as host of chronic illnesses.
5. Financial/emotional/and spiritual depletion. Even those individuals who have accumulated all the most treasured “toys” may be haunted by the question “is this all there is?” Like energy, money is intended FOR a purpose, it is not the end value. The pursuit of money for itself can lead to a spiritual crisis both for those who get lots of it and for those who never reach their financial goals. A person’s value cannot be measured by their net worth or credit score.
More money doesn't solve a money problem.
Are you experiencing any of the symptoms of the money/life drain? If more money is not the solution to this chronic illness, then what is? Wisdom and choice are our key resources to correcting the money/life drain we are experiencing. Making wise financial choices implies making wise life choices and vice versa. This requires us to inspect every area of our lives to see how it feeds/or detracts from our life vision. True prosperity (more money without money problems) requires that we restructure our thoughts, words, and actions so that they align with our life purpose and reflect our values and priorities. We have described the symptoms of a money/life drain. The condition is deadly but the prognosis is good. You can have a complete and permanent recovery, but it requires that you take the medicine daily. Today choose life, choose health, choose abundance!
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