| How to Manage
your money
Money is neither god
nor devil,
but a form of energy.
Like love or fear,
it can serve you or bind you,
depending upon how you manage it.
By clarifying your goals
and using your gifts,
you can make good money,
doing what you enjoy,
while serving
the highest calling of your soul.
Using money wisely, and well,
you share your material
and spiritual wealth
with the world.
The Flow of Money
In the context of personal
growth, money is more than a means of exchange or ready cash.
Although most of us have experienced periods of financial
scarcity, our relationship to money reflects our relationship
to energy and service and spirit, our ability to function
in society, our openness to pleasure and abundance, our reality
check. Money mirrors the quality of our interactions with
other people, our ability to receive and to give. Money represents
survival, security, safety, shelter, food, family, livelihood.
More complex, it turns out,
than balancing your checkbook.
If spiritual life begins on
the ground, money forms a foundation on which to build. Shivapuri
Baba, an Indian Saint and yogi who walked around the world
on a pilgrimage when he was nearly 120 years old, was once
asked about the best way to begin a spiritual life. He advised,
"first build a foundation—manage your money."
(He had acquired a small bag of gems in his younger years,
through hard work and simple living; he drew upon these gems
as needed.)
Money in Everyday Life
Pam, a friend who read an
early version of this manuscript, said, "I don't think
that the chapter [in Everyday Enlightenment], How To Manage
Your Money, is as important as the chapters about taming our
mind or facing our fears—" Abruptly, she looked
at her watch. "Oh, my gosh, look what time it is! The
bank’s closing in ten minutes!" Wondering about
why money was so important, Pam had to run to the bank.
On the way to the bank, Pam
later told me that she realized how much of her time, thoughts,
and attention revolved around money—paying the bills,
balancing checkbooks, discussing costs of the room addition
for their growing family. After the bank, she went food shopping,
then stopped by the furniture store to check prices on a new
bed for one of her children. All activities dealing with money.
Like Pam, most of us have money concerns of one kind or another—striving
to make more, or make do with less—learning to live
simply, comfortably, spiritually.
Poor people may be forced
to think about money a lot of the time, related to food, shelter,
subsistence, and survival. Rich people may also think about
money a lot of the time, related to status, travel, freedom,
influence, and options. But managing your money does not depend
upon becoming wealthy or declaring vows of poverty. Rather,
it is about creating stability and sufficiency—a balanced
flow of monetary energy through your life. This kind of management
liberates you from survival issues, so that money concerns
no longer occupy your mind or monopolize your attention. When
money flows in, you spend it in a matter-of-fact way where
it needs to go, where it will do the most good. You pay bills
gladly, knowing that your money helps to support other people
who in turn provide services for you. If something breaks,
you write a check and get it fixed without further concern.
Free from cycles of scarcity, your attention can ascend to
higher levels of awareness and experience.
Money is like sex;
you think a lot about it
when you don’t have it,
and think of other things
when you do.
—James Baldwin
Spiritual Stereotypes
You can probably conjure up
images of pure and holy people quite easily—monks with
begging bowls, Indian ascetics, priests and nuns from every
tradition who have renounced money in order to live a more
spiritual life free of worldly distractions. Images of Jesus
expelling money changers from the temple and quotations about
money being the root of all evil and rich men having a tough
time entering heaven and the meek inheriting the earth are
quite familiar. Such images and ideas help create stereotypes
that equate poverty and spirituality in the minds of many.
I don’t like money
but it calms my nerves.
—Joe Louis
Managing your money begins
by acknowledging any mixed feelings, guilt, or negativity
you may have about money and about those who possess it in
abundance. If you associate voluntary poverty with humility,
goodness, and spirituality, then with what do you associate
wealth? It is worth pondering, because what you believe about
money will determine, in large part, your effectiveness in
acquiring it.
(Continued In How To Manage Your Money Pt 2...)
| Authors Details: Dan Millman Website |
More Articles On How To Manage Your Money
(How
To manage Your Money - Your Personal 'Beta')
(How
To Manage Your Money Part 1)
(How
To Manage Your Money Part 2) |
