Lesson 2: Our Relationship with Money
Learning Objective
Explore your current relationship with money by uncovering your history with money
Money is a very powerful force in our lives. We either control it, or let it control us. Like any relationship, our relationship with money can be improved with effort, love and attention.
Our current relationship with money is largely shaped by our past experience with it. Events from our childhood, our education and relationships all influence our current reality with money. While we all have a history with money, we shouldn’t let our past experiences and beliefs with money rule our present and future experiences.
What’s most important to realise is that it’s never too late to take control of our relationship with money.
Mindful Exercise: If money was a person.
Imagine for a moment that money was a person. Let’s call her Miss Money.
What would your relationship with Miss Money be like?
Are you friends or enemies?
Are you scared of her or do you avoid her anytime she comes your way?
Do you idolise her?
Do you mistreat her?
Do you let her influence your decisions, or does she hold you back from doing the things that you really want to do?
While Miss Money may be fictional, the truth is that we are in a relationship with money and if we aren’t best friends with money then we need to do something to change that.
Our money story
One way to think about our history with money is as if it were a story. In our money story there are many different scenes, events and characters. We can create money chapters from the themes in our life which might include how we earned and spent our money and whether we won or lost money.
These past events and experiences with money largely shape our current relationship with money and ultimately how we use our money.
It can be helpful to get clear on our money history as it often provides insight into why we do the things we currently do with our money: both the good and the bad!
But remember the past is a place of reference, not residence!
Mindful Question/Reflection: It’s time to shine a light on our money history and explore our money past with curiosity, but without judgement. Have a go at answering the questions below:
What is your earliest money memory?
Did you feel rich or poor as you were growing up?
Did your family have enough money, or was money a source of concern, worry or conflict?
What happy money memories do you have?
What unhappy money memories do you have?
When did you first earn money?
What things were you regularly told about money when you were growing up?
