What is the meaning of money?
Does money serve you? Or do you serve money?
What does your money flow look like? How much do you think about it and use it? Probably more than most things like shampoo, your hairbrush or toothpaste. This relationship can cause great joy, satisfaction or stress and bewilderment.
There is an endless longing, desire and relentless pursuit that is programmed into our minds. This desire is amplified with advertisements telling us what we should have and where we should spend. There are sales, promo codes and time-limited offerings. We believe that we want more, we don’t have enough. We can become preoccupied with earning it, borrowing it, paying our loans back, spending and later protecting what we spent years building.
In itself, money is simply a means of exchange of value. When we assign this meaning to money, we can review what is in fact important to us. The most valuable thing that we have is our time. If “money is time “ the paradox is that we spend much time thinking about money.
“If money is time the paradox is that we spend much time thinking about money.
To learn more about how to manage time in a mindful way read Do Calm’s article “3 Best Tips for a Better and Calmer Day”.
There are spiritual laws to money- it is an invisible energy field. There is a life force in money, much like an organic system; one that can feed, energize, and ground us and others. A more mindful and intentional relationship with money is based on respect and honour of this life-force throughout its life cycle.
What is the Cycle of Money Flow?
Earning Money
We give our time and energy in exchange when we earn money. A mindful relationship with our money starts in the way that we earn. We send the message to the universe information about our integrity and service to the world. Did we earn this money in honesty, integrity, and respect to those with whom we work? Did we serve others through the exchange? Did we minimize harm on to others, our community and our planet? Did we use our gifts to serve the higher good: to add value and joy to others’ lives?
Saving Money
By saving we minimize our worries about tomorrow, much like paying our high interest debts helps us to let go of the past. Saving takes discipline; this is a habit worth cultivating in itself. There are various strategies to consider from: real estate to compound interest.
Spending Money
How do you spend your money?
Negative Unconscious Motivations for Spending
- a time-sensitive factor such as a promotion or sale
- aesthetics that caught our attention in a fleeting moment
- emotions such as: guilt, shame, loneliness, a need to belong, boredom, FOMO
What is Mindful Spending?
Making thoughtful choices about how we spend our money and ultimately our time is the premise behind Mindful Spending. Not only do we decide how we spend our time, it means that we use money in a way that shapes and supports our core values. Core values shape our identity. We leave an imprint on to the world as we act from our core values. For every dollar that we spend, we give energy to the service provider, the means of production and medium of exchange, the cause, the producers and the social trend.
You get to determine what you value and through this exchange you make a mark on this world.
If supporting a local organic farmer is important to you, you will be acting in accordance with your core values when spending a few more dollars on your vegetable purchase over a grocery store buy. When you act and spend in alignment with your values, life is more peaceful and purposeful because you are aligned and integrity with your money flow.
Giving Money
When we give and donate to a worthy cause we close the loop of the spiritual laws and energy circle of our money. We define what we want to nurture and grow in the world and we decide to give our energy to the cause. We do so with full knowing of our impact on the world and our confidence in our own abundance and capacity to generate wealth.
There are various spiritual guiding elements of Buddha, Darma and Sangha that can support our personal financial life and personal money management. Learn about the ‘Happiness Dividend’ here.
What is Personal Finance Management?
This is one of the keys to a mindful relationship with our money and its energy field. Money management is self-care, as we minimize stress in our lives and find balance in our spending habits. We can take greater priority living in the ‘now’ as we minimize worries about the future. By paying our debts we let go of the past.
We make room in our budget for expenses such as: rent, mortgage, insurance, transportation, food, utility services, clothing, leisure, self care and grooming. We define what we value and demonstrate to ourselves self care by ensuring that we meet our necessities and priorities. We practice setting limitations with ourselves. There is so much to learn from this practice: discipline, accepting the present moment as it is, taking good care of ourselves and those around us.
Money is Energy
Most importantly, money is an energy. Imagine an energy field every time you receive or make a payment. You can train your mind to see this. The habits of a more mindful relationship with our money, where we earn, save, spend and donate intentionally can change our lives now and for the future.
Money is congealed energy and releasing it releases life possibilities . Money experienced as life energy is indeed a meditation, and letting it flow out instead of hoarding it is a mode of participation in the life of others
Joseph Campbell
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