Your Relationship with Money

I actually wrote the following about 6 months ago. As I'm rushing out for work, I wanted to get this out to you early this Friday morning for a little inspiration. My apologies for the fast pace at which it was written. I didn't originally write it for the world to see.

I had an incredible epiphany this morning! Right at the moment between consciousness and unconsciousness, I felt as if my spirit lent me a hand and connected the two. And at that split second, one could say I had an "AHA!" moment. Before I get into the epiphany, let me note that I had been pondering over this concept for the last couple of days, not fully grasping this mental discovery on the edge of the page of the tablet in my mind. Over the last couple of days, I'd been objectively viewing money as a concept. The major pattern that brought this concept to the light, was this: I have always been in the same money situation. Always! My habits with money have been similar my entire life. From rushing to the store to buy candy when my mom would give me a dime, to renting out the most extravagant apartment I could afford. The only difference between then and now, is that my relationship with money has advanced to bigger "sticks of gum". I imagine that if I could have signed a contract with the clerk of the Mini-Mart I would have showed up month to month to purchase yet another Tootsie Roll. The epiphony is this: Everyone has a relationship with money, and in a free world, this relationship determines where you land your materialistic dreams. This relationship with money, for most, is adopted and never-changing. Many individuals will adopt, as they do with most of their habits, the habits of their parents, and this relationship with money will never change. This article is not a how-to manual on how to get more money, it simply exists to beg the question among yourself, what is your true relationship with money? What patterns, regarding money, seem to repeat endlessly in your life? My money situation has always been the same. Although I've learned to buy bigger toys, I've continued to have the same amount of money at the end of each month as I've always had. I've yet to invest a dime, except perhaps for my education, and I've earned nearly every cent through employment. My offense (or the way that I bring in money), has gotten stronger, because I've gotten better jobs, but my defense has stayed the same. Every penny that I've brought through the front door, by any means, has undeniably found a way out of the back door. And that's just it; I've spent my whole life focusing on the offensive side of money, without any regard for the defensive side. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. At 24, I can sanely see clearly what my results hold, and I don't deny in the least bit that the results will stay the same for the next 40 years if my relationship with money never changes.

Note: Using percentages is an easy way to see what your relationship with money consists of. Broken down to just a dollar, how would you ration out your money? (i.e. Would you save 20 cents or give away 10 cents?) You have to develop this "law" for your money, in order to build the results that you desire.