Money is not a bad thing at all, of course. It only becomes evil when you start to make earning and accumulating a lot of money your purpose and goal in life. So is making money the main reason you are alive? You would initially say “Of course not!” This seems like a really easy question to answer, but if you try to take a closer look at your own goals and dreams, you may be surprised to find out that money is indeed what’s driving you to do whatever it is that you do.
What you are about to read here are just some key points that many of us will relate to when it comes to what role money and other priorities play in our lives.
Appreciating and enjoying what you have now
It doesn’t matter if you are making $200k a year or just $10k a year income; enjoying and making the most of what you’ve got now is what really matters. You should try to form this mindset that when it’s about your finances, it isn’t always about the actual amount that you are making, but instead, how you are using your money to make your life more meaningful. This is a huge challenge for many people because it is just too easy to set your eyes only gaining endless income streams, being free from debt, and finally having freedom and more time to enjoy life with family. What could make things easier is for you to be grateful that you have been blessed by so many people in so many different ways, and this should give you enough reason to believe that you need not be wealthy to be a blessing to other people as well.
Money remains to be a means, and will never be an end
You can use money as a qualified reason for spending so much of your time pursuing it, which in fact turns money into “an ends” rather than a means. While it is true that security and comfort in life can make you happy and fulfilled, in the end, it would still be your experiences and relationships that matter. I would also like to emphasize the importance of health because it is something valuable that money can’t buy. The point here is that we must learn to acknowledge the fact that even though money enables us to do many things, it must be treated only as a means of getting what we want and what we need. It must never be the ultimate thing we want to achieve.
Life and money
If you are working really hard to keep your two or three jobs perhaps, you may feel like you are an achiever because you can do what not everyone else can do. You are exhausted, for sure. And at the end of the day, how do you feel about how you are living your life? You would have to make a conscious effort to realize that you are not spending enough time doing the more important things with the people you love.
Making a lot of money is not an impossible mission, especially if you know how to find the best career opportunities out there. The question is what you will be willing to give up. Needless to say, it is very important that you know what you are doing things for or what you’re working so hard for. Nothing in life is guaranteed and certain. Yes, you should plan your future, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to take for granted what you have with you right this moment
Cecile Peterkin is a certified career and retirement coach, and a registered member of the Career Professionals of Canada and the International Coach Federation. She is also the Founder and Senior Career Strategist at Cosmic Coaching Centre, provider of career and life management services for middle managers and mid-career professionals across Canada, United States and Europe.