Think about it
“When Hently wrote the prophetic lines, ‘I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul’, he should have informed us that we are masters of our fate, the captains of our souls, because we have the power to control our thoughts.”
Most of us have a best friend.
The truest of all best friends, are the ones who will be there to clean out our stuff when we die.
When I have this conversation with one of mine, it usually goes something like this:
Me:. “V - if I don't come back (from this trip), make sure you grab the green Dos Equis box on the top shelf of the closet before the authorities get there! You can have everything in it. Hire someone with the cash inside and transport everything to St James Thrift Store (unless you want something).”
Her: “You got it, girl. Mine is under my bed, pink trunk. Burn my journals. You can totally have my surfboards and whatever else looks salvageable.”
This type of planning, while extremely practical, can also be a springboard for further contemplation.
For instance, yogis, Buddhist practitioners, philosophers, military personnel, and other life experimenters engage in practices which contemplate their own mortality. These range from visualization practices where one witnesses their own death, their corpse, people saying goodbye, and then how life goes on, after. Others write their own eulogies. Some focus on all that is dead around them (leaves, tables, animals), and then contemplate the miracle of life and how hard it is to stay alive.
I decided to try the eulogy practice. What came up for me was: How do I want to leave the world? What will other people say and think about me? Who will inherit all that I have worked hard to keep and enjoy?
I realized that these questions directly intersected with my thoughts about money—earning it, saving it, spending it, and now, sharing it. I started to consider some of my most influential mentors on the subject. The shouting of Robert Kiyosaki came to mind— "Money is an idea!" and, "It's not about what you earn, it is about what you keep!" and, "Buy assets, not liabilities!"
Contemplating money as an idea vs a thing changed everything for me.
Noticing that my thoughts and feelings about money had a direct influence on my wealth (or lack their of), mood, and decisions, helped me realize the power of my own mind.
I realized that if I was always worried about money, then money would always be worrisome. If I thought that money was evil, or just a means to an end, then it would be just that.
If I thought it was a tool, then I would be able to use it to build or grow something. And, if I believed that money was there to help me experience ultimate freedom — a place where my deepest values intersected with my wildest dreams — then I would be tasked with figuring out how to make that happen.
20 years later, nearing financial freedom and as content as a golden retriever, I am here to tell you: Your life is a reflection of your thoughts.
Henry Ford's famous line: "If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, (either way) you're right", has motivated people for over a century. Napoleon Hill, Robert Kiyosaki, and countless others remind us that our thoughts about money are no exception.
What do you think? What does money mean to you?