In the deepest sense money isn’t real. Intrinsically it has no real value. It’s just a fancy piece of paper. If we were to take our money to an alien world, what could we use it for? Money is simply a mutually agreed upon token we use to exchange for things that provide REAL VALUE to us like food, community, comfort and shelter. It’s the things we buy with money, or the things people buy from us that has actual value.
Why do we stress over money? Usually it’s because we have mistakenly identified money, the actual money, as the thing of value. It feels stressful because we’re “fighting” to get something that doesn’t exist – the closer you get, the more elusive it becomes.
Look at the thing of value as what’s underneath the money. If you want to generate more income, then think of how you can generate more value, not more money. Also recognize that both value and wealth come in more forms than just money. You can be financially wealthy but be bankrupt in true friendships, family time, respect or health.
This observation is universal; applicable to anyone, anywhere in any business or organization. It applies to artists, real estate agents, and even big corporations and the government.
In equation form it looks like this:
Wealth = Value Provided by Y * Number of Entities that Directly Value Y
(Where Y is the product, employee or subject generating wealth).
We are all connected in a giant ecosystem and the flow of money is merely a manifestation of the exchange of our energy and value. The next time you’re stressed out about money, be self-reflective. Rather than stressing about how you can get more money for money’s sake, focus instead on how you can provide more value to more people. All sorts of wealth will flow from this mindset.
Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” When you shine the spotlight on others and how you can help them, you’ll instantly notice how much better you feel, and how much more successful you’ll be.
