Quantum Happiness Series- The meaning of money
Money Matters
“Money is what we take in exchange for our
life’s energy.”
–Deepak Chopra
It was life-changing for me. The very thought that money is what we take
in exchange for our life’s energy gave me a whole new perspective on purchases.
Let’s say, for example, that I make $20 per hour.
I spent an hour of my life to pay for a burger and fries,
Or those shoes that I have only worn once cost me half a day,Or that cup of coffee cost me 15 minutes of my life’s energy.
The implications are astounding. I was
sacrificing my time and energy to buy things I didn’t need or even really want.
I was just spending mindlessly. So, I decided to organize my finances to see
where my life’s energy was going and where it could be conserved.
Sure enough, I found spending habits of which
I wasn’t even aware depleting my bank account, causing me passive stress, and
feeding my ennui.
“Being rich is having money; being wealthy
is having time.” – Margaret Bonanno
Since realizing the true cost of purchases, I
have become much more careful where and how I spend money.
When I considered:
The toys that children play with once and discard,
The amount of life energy that goes in the garbage every week,
The cumulative life energy represented in the landfill,
I immediately changed my spending habits and
began warning friends and family that my gift giving mindset had changed
dramatically. While I still enjoy giving
gifts, I now pay more attention to what the person actually enjoys and what
experience I can give as opposed to a material item.
For example, I often:
·
Cook birthday dinners instead of buying birthday presents.
·
Plan activities with my friends and family instead of working overtime
to buy them an extravagant gift.
·
Give gift certificates to restaurants or spas so they can relax
and enjoy themselves when they need it most.
Paying attention
Would you rather work half as much and ditch
the shopping trips and extravagant dinners? Most of us would.
A large percentage of Americans, as well as
citizens of other industrialized nations, spend much of their lives working to
pay for things they don’t need. Simply
being aware of unnecessary and/or unused purchases, makes us more conscious of
our buying patterns and encourages us to change our spending habits to
accurately reflect what is important in our lives.
Want vs. need
Many Americans learned how to do more with
less during the recession of 2008/2009. The financial crisis forced us to
reevaluate our wants and needs and prioritize things that were previously taken
for granted. Homes were downsized, cars were traded, and boats were sold to
raise funds. At the same time clipping coupons, gardening, cooking, and tiny
living gained popularity. As a nation we were forced to separate our wants from
our needs.
For instance,
·
We need transportation but want an expensive car.
·
We need food but want to dine in restaurants.
·
We need shelter but want a mansion.
·
We need clothes and shoes but want a designer wardrobe.
This experience taught many of us to be
grateful for things we had previously taken for granted.
Sprout gratitude
Taking a moment of gratitude during our busy
day, provides fertile ground for happiness, exuberance, and energy to bloom,
especially when life is full of struggles. If we wait for a perfect day to be
grateful, happiness will remain elusive and ennui will continue to reign.
Everything in life may be viewed as either a
curse or a blessing, and problems are simply opportunities in disguise. I
recently read a parable that captures this point precisely:
A traveling holy
man and his apprentice came upon a farm with a single cow. The people were very
poor and depended on the cow for everything. They made butter, cream, and
cheese from its milk, reserved what they would eat, and sold the rest.
The next morning as
they were leaving, the holy man told his apprentice to go back and push the cow
off the cliff. The apprentice was worried since the family relied on the cow
for their livelihood. But he did as he was told.
Years later, the
apprentice returned as a holy man himself and was surprised to find a mansion
where the family’s hut had been. He asked the landowner what had become of the
other family.
The man replied,
“We have always lived here. It is our family land. We used to be very poor and
relied on one cow for everything. When that cow died, we had to learn new ways
of taking care of ourselves and develop new skills. Losing that cow was the best
thing that ever happened to our family.”
This parable teaches us that even the worst
disasters can present us with unexpected outcomes and enlightenment. So, when
problems present themselves, as they always do, instead of resisting, embrace
the opportunity. The only constant in life is change, and since there is no way
to stop it, we must learn to value the many possibilities it presents.
Bye-bye sheep
Cultivating gratitude must be practiced
deliberately and daily. So, at the end of every day, while falling asleep,
count your blessings the way others might count sheep. If you can’t think of
anything to be grateful for, start with abundant food, clean water, and fresh
air, three things much of the world struggles for every day. Then move on to
reliable electricity, transportation, and uncensored internet access.
We all have much to be grateful for but
instead we take these things for granted. So, say goodbye to counting sheep and
count your blessings instead.
Engagement exercise
1:
List five specific things that you can be
grateful for right now. Think back and try to find at least one thing that you
would not have expected to be grateful for but are.
Engagement exercise
2:
Go to your closet:
What percentage of your clothing do you wear regularly? ____%
What percentage do you wear for special occasions? ____%
What percentage do you not wear but hang on to, “just in case?” ____%
Now evaluate your shoes using the same method:
What percentage of your shoes do you wear regularly? ____%
What percentage do you wear for special occasions? ____%
What percentage do you not wear but hang on to, “just in case?” ____%
Now move on to other areas of your home.
What percentage of dishes or cookware are unused? _____%
What percentage of kitchen appliances are unused? _____%
What percentage of personal care items are unused? _____
Engagement exercise 3:
Using the percentages from exercise two and calculate how much of your life’s energy is spent to buy things you don’t use.
Clothes: _______%
Shoes: _______%
Household items: _______%
What changes might be in order?
Vacay Q&A
playlist: Meaning of money
Sources and resources:
V ideo: Exploring Alternatives-Man Quits 80K Job to Work in a Grocery Store
Video: Fearless Soul- 5 Things You Should Be Grateful for Today
This has been an excerpt from the Everyday Vacay e-series.
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