Relationship with Money - Part I

"a fool and his money are soon parted" English Proverb

“man is born free, but everywhere he is in chain” is a quote from Jean Jacques Rousseau, French Political Philosopher (1712 – 1778). Why is this so? why is it that some people acquire money so easily while others work so hard to earn so little only to put them in pockets with holes, usually coupled with pipes that takes the money right into the pockets the easy earners.

My friends, if you are to learn anything from this post, get the fact that 'nothing just happens'. There is a reason for everything. 

Just like gravity pulls all mass down at acceleration of 9.81m/s² or as the sun always rise from the East and Sets on the West so is the flow of money in any person's life governed by Universal Laws.

I study these laws and make them work in my favour, you can too.

Introduction

In retrospect, look back 10, 5 or 2 years; examine closely friends you once had who either walked away from you or you walked away from them. Something happened causing the relationship to sour leading to parting. Sadly, many otherwise good relationships will cease due to lack of nurturing environment betwixt, physical alienation, difference in focus (lack of common grounds), abuse and many other hosts of reasons.

There is a relationship between you and the money that you have been assigned custodian over, i.e. money placed in your power to do whatever you please. An English proverbs goes, 'a fool and his money are soon parted' says it all. When money keeps flowing away from you, it is time to consider; perhaps you have soured your relationship with it.

One of the ways we can sour relationship is by constantly abusing the other party, eventually the abused party will walk away from the relationship. Thus, it stands to reason, if money walks away from you, always, perhaps you have soured the relationship. I would like therefore to explore, if you wish, a few ways through which we do abuse the relationship with money and hence repel it from us.

Abuse

The word abuse simply means abnormal use, which is 'use that was not meant for'. Other words for it are misuse, mishandling, misappropriate etc. It is very easy to abuse one's relationship with money and it can take many shapes and forms.

Whilst I know there are many instances that you can find in your own setting falling under abused money–man–relationship, for the purpose of this study I have picked what I consider to be the top three:

1. Role Reversal

"money in many respect is like fire, excellent servant but terrible master" P. T. Barnum. The best philosophy in life is to "love people, use money to save and serve them". In an abusive relationship, one loves money and uses people to get (save and serve) money. In this situation, money ceases to be servant, it becomes master, a terrible master.

When you elevate money into the position of the master, it will—in a matter of time—destroy you (sometimes literary) and will eventually walk out on you. You know money has become your master when ''you would do 'anything' to have (serve/save) it" i.e. at this point greed has set in. Greed is basically insatiable desire to have more…usually driven by fear of not having enough.

2. Hoarding:

Money is both currency and servant; as currency, it is supposed to flow (exchange hands—service/goods) and as a servant, it is supposed to be put to work. Who amongst us would let his or her servant 'sit' down all day whilst they are hired to work? likewise a pond with no flowing water—current—soon stinks and kills all living organisms in it.

People with poverty mindset are usually plagued with fear to let go of the little "servants'' they have. Thus they hold them and keep them in a prison cell called 'bank'. My friends, this is abuse of a money–man-relationship at its very best.

Do yourself a favour and find out, pick a bank of your choice and investigate the interest they pay you against depreciation. If you deposit in savings 10,000 in the bank of your choice, they will pay you interest either quarterly or annually. Work that out against depreciation and bank charges; you will realize at the end of the year you will collect less in value (and probably numerically).

Money as in currency and servants was never meant to be hoarded, if you do, this is abuse of the relationship and sooner or later you will find that you are at the losing end.

3. Spendthrift

Whilst hoarding is one extreme end of money-man-relationship abuse, spendthrift is another. This is wasteful, extravagant and reckless use of money; no plan, no thinking only engaging emotional usually whimsical feelings and impulse—spur of the moment expenditures.

Your average Joes will ''buy things they don't need (luxuries) with money they don't have (credit) to please people they don't even like (friends, relatives, neighbors)" when you do this, you are doing it at the expense of your financial freedom in the future.

Money is a tool, servant and a powerful weapon; learn to use it well—not thriftily or wastefully—but wisely lest it runs away from you like a currency it is. Wisdom is in knowing where and how to use it to serve you best.

In Part II we shall look at Remedy for Soured Money–Man-Relationship