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Today's
Meditation:
John makes me think about money in a different way.
Something that he makes me realize is that much of my
relationship with money is determined by the anxiety that
comes from the possibility of not having enough of
it. I'm much less concerned with the amount of money
that I'll have than I am with the idea of running out of
it when I need it--and then what?
Personally, I see more points in having money than John
does. I like to travel and see new places and
revisit places I've seen before. Without money, I
would never have been able to visit the National Parks
that I've visited so far, for example. But another
thing that I know is that I'm not defined as a person by
the amount of money I have. Nor will I ever be made
happy by having money--and I even could be happy without
seeing all the National Parks, for example, if I were
living completely without anxiety, couldn't I?
People who want to be rich often think that all of their
problems will be completely solved by having more
money. But one of the most interesting dynamics
about money that I've learned--often the hard way--is that
the more you have, the more you need. As your income
rises, so do your needs, it seems. Without money, we
don't have the most expensive cell phones, we drive modest
cars, we wear clothes that are more functional. . .
and we tend to be quite satisfied with those things.
The presence of money, though, gets us to start looking
around to see what more we can have, and up goes our
stress level as we choose between different wants rather
than fulfilling needs.
While there are times I would love to have lots of money
(and the things that can come with it), I'd much rather
live the rest of my days in an unanxious state.
Without any anxiety, imagine how much more of the world
I'd be able to notice and enjoy!
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