Misunderstandings About Money

You've probably heard all the lines by now, delivered with the intention of pulling you down and stopping you from reaching your full potential. Any of these ring a bell?

• Money doesn't buy you happiness
• Stop trying to rise above your station in life
• The only rich people are schemers and scammers
   

None of these are true. Let's break them down one by one:

• The idea that money can't buy you happiness has some merit, because it's saying that life is going to happen to you no matter what. Pop stars and billionaires still lose people or get addicted to things. This is true. But people state it as if to say 'money buys you misery', which is not true.
  
  Here's the truth: Money amplifies who you already are.
  
  If you're a royal pain in the rear now, you'll be more of that with money.
  
  If you're generous and kind now, you'll be more of that with money. 
  
  Have faith in yourself that you're a safe place for money to land. You're a good person. You deserve to amplify that goodness so it reaches more people. Money will help you to do that. It takes away concerns about daily living costs, medical bills, etc, and helps you to focus on what you want to create in the world to help others. 
  
  And, on the worst days, when you can't find a way to be happy, it helps you to show up to your problems in style.
  
  
•  Stop trying to rise above your station in life
  
  This may sound a bit Downton Abbey, because I'm English, but all countries have some aspect of this. In Australia, they call it Tall Poppy Syndrome, for instance. Americans refer to 'crabs in a bucket'. Basically, it's more convenient for everyone if you, in the words of the South Park bus driver SIT DOWN, AND SHUT UP!
  
  But you weren't born to fit in. As we Gen Xers learnt a long time ago, that's like playing Tetris. When you fit in, you disappear. YOU were born to stand out. 
  
  So, there's every chance that you WILL rise above your 'station in life' since that station was defined by people who chose to fit in, and you're a little weirdo. No judgement, just facts. Nobody ordinary reads past the first line of anything I write, so I know you're out of the ordinary, and I'm thrilled about it. 
  
  We are the ones who change things, shake them up, make them better. Can't do that by thinking dusty thoughts. Much as tradition is a wonderful thing, if you start to feel confined by it then it's worth remembering that tradition is also just peer pressure from dead people. And you are alive, right now, ready to do something awesome. 
  
  If you need permission to rise above whatever station you choose, I'm handing that to you now. As Les Brown says, even when the world has beaten you down to the floor, you can always "stand up inside yourself". 
  
  
• The idea that rich people are schemers and scammers goes back to the first point. Money makes you more of what you already are, so the biggest schemers and scammers in the world are rich, because they're competitive about being schemers and scammers, and being good at it made them rich. They weren't just walking along one day being angelic, found a coin on the ground and became a villain. This isn't The Lord Of The Rings. If you help enough people to make a decent living, you won't suddenly turn into a ring-obsessed zombie. IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!

You know how people get super spooked about random tales about forest folk and shadowy figures in attics? It's because things can hide in forests and attics. You can't see clearly there. The myths and rumours are also not clear. They're murky and open to interpretation. That's where the fear gets in. 

Most of the things in forests that seem scary are owls or other animals. Most of the things in attics are birds or mice. The fact that sometimes bad things happen in forests and attics doesn't make forests and attics a hotbed for spooky crime. It's the other way around.

What you're really scared of is that some people are mean. That's true. I can't make that go away for you, and guarantee you that nobody will ever say 'boo' to you again. 

I can't promise you that your friends and family will be overjoyed if you become a millionaire while they're struggling, even if you help them. Notice who applauds and who sighs when you win. It's good data to have. But don't let their limitations about who they can be limit your aspirations about who you can be. 

And as for money making you a 'bad' person, that will start with your ego if it happens, and it'll already be there today. So, if that little monster wakes up, hire me to coach it back into its cave. I help people - including those with egotistical or cluster B traits - to have a clear sense of self worth that doesn't require them to be mean or cross. Everyone has bees, not just Cluster Beekeepers, and I'm pretty good at giving ease to the bees if they start swarming. 

You CAN be successful without being a menace. Bees sting, but they also make honey. Have some faith in your ability to do the right thing. If you've read this far, I already know you're the kind of person who wants to do wonderful things in the world. It's safe to take the first step on that journey and see where that path takes you. 

Here's the real truth. Money brings you dignity and peace. It brings you new ways to become successful in your life. It gives you a sense of calm satisfaction that you are provided for no matter what. It gives you the freedom to pursue a life that interests and excites you. You deserve all those things. Now's your time to move towards them. 

Scroll down for some options about that next step. 

Rebecca Bardess