Why should money have a purpose? And is money the purpose by itself?
Each one of us seeks security stability and happiness in life, and financials are a crucial part of it. They allow you as an individual to have a sort of power by which a big part of your needs in life will be met.
It is beautiful to have money, isn’t it? But, is the way by which you are making money and spending your money a meaningful one?
Dr. Viktor Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy states: “Life Is Not Primarily A Quest For Pleasure Or A Quest For Power But A Quest For Meaning” (Frankl V.E., Man’s Search for Meaning, 2006)
Money should not be the end by itself. Its position in your life is to be well perceived and defined.
Money without fulfillment leads to despair
Money is a by-product of Meaning fulfillment. Think a bit! How would it feel to be in a job you don’t like just for the sake of money? Isn’t it stopping you from growing and becoming who you truly are?
It’s not only that; your whole wellbeing will be affected and the feeling of non-fulfillment, even in the presence of financial success, will have drastic consequences on your health. Thus, it is not enough to make money; it is how you are making your money that counts.
You may choose to have a pizzeria under your house and serve the people of your small village or you may choose to be a CEO of a worldwide company; Think about what makes you fulfilled, satisfied, and dancing from joy and work purposefully to achieve it.
Making money meaningfully is crucial for your mental health and overall wellbeing. It requires courage and leads to authentic happiness.
Money without Meaning, Purpose, and Transcendence is with no Value
Money is a value but it also serves a value. What you do with the money you earn says a lot about who you truly are. Two channels are related to spending money; the first is the mono-pole channel by which you spend what you earn on yourself, to meet your basic needs such as food, shelter, healthcare… This is crucial for your wellbeing and happiness and it will make you more comfortable and focused on your goals and ambitions. If you consider that the money you earn is yours, you are right. It is by your hard work and dedication that you earned it and you deserve it!
The second one is the poly-pole channel; for money to be purposeful in your life, it should be meaningfully “invested” also to grow and affect others even in ways that go far beyond the money itself.
Sowing your seeds where your money makes a difference in other people’s lives is meaningful. The way you chose is freely yours. It may be direct to the person or indirect through funding research, a plan, or a cause; it may extend from your family, friends, neighbors, to other regions, to another country, or another side of the world. The poly-pole channel will make also your community happy.
Sticking only to one channel will decrease the effect of the power of money in your life. Enjoying the money you earn brings you happiness in being able to enjoy what you have done and achieved; and “investing” part of the money you earned in others – be it persons or projects – will let you have your mark, live in transcendence, and influence also the wellbeing of your community.
Money-related values are influenced by various factors
Your childhood experiences, your current income, your goals, the lifestyle you are seeking, and the change that you would like to make in the world are all factors that influence your money-related values. They influence how, on whom, on what you spend, and also on what you are saving. You may be seeking security and stability for yourself and your family, have an enjoyable lifestyle, travel, contribute, and live life fully.
Reflecting on the above will help you define your money-related values statement
Write down on a stick note: “The purpose of money in my life is …..”. Hang it somewhere visible to your eyes, on your computer screen, on your fridge, on your car mirror; memorize it and let it guide you to choose how do you want to make money meaningfully and what do you want to do with it for yourself and others.
The real value and the Purpose of Money in your life are linked to your wellbeing and to the wellbeing of the whole community. It is first how you are meaningfully making it and second what you do with it through its self-transcendent quality, to “invest” it in yourself to be joyful, stable, and happy and also in others and/or causes that would change your life, the life of another person or the course of the whole humanity.
