As a young Filipino girl who was raised Catholic, I was brought up with the idea that: Money = Greed. Money is something you should never talk about. You work hard to earn a living but never be so crass as to discuss the actual figures. Money is evil and is often the cause of problems in either work, family, or even, business.
That said, I didn’t think of it highly. In fact, I avoided conversations about money, thinking it wasn’t classy to talk about it. Naivete, I suppose. I was always tiptoeing around the topic of money and it was only during my blogging career that I learned about investments, the importance of financial stability, and financial literacy. I started to learn about insurance and investments and even got my own financial advisor.
Listening to the BE RICH audio track for 14 consecutive days let me ponder on the power of money and what it can do. When I was first reading the task, I was hesitant. Maybe because of how I was brought up and that subconscious bias stopped me from enjoying the idea of listening to repetitive affirmations about money.
However, as soon as I finished the first listening session, I instantly embraced the idea of affirmations. The truth is that money isn’t the root of all evil, nor does it cause problems. It’s greed.
Simply having money doesn’t put you in danger of being arrogant, nor will it whisper evil thoughts in your ear. Greed does. Greed fills your head with the idea that it is never enough. Greed is selfish. Greed causes envy and embodies negativity.
It also made me realize how far money can get you. The reality is that money does equate to power. It all depends on how you make use of it.
I realized that I’m at a position in my adult life where I can and have been blessing others with opportunities to become happier healthier and blessed. Money can be a source of creation, not chaos if you let it. The difference between what you believe money offers can also influence how much money stays in your hands. If you let money control you and let greed drive your pursuit of money, you lose relationships, opportunities, businesses, and peace of mind.
In the same way, if you believe that money is an unending source; spending everything all at once, you will eventually run dry. However, if you manage money well and invest in people, opportunities, and experiences, your money will be worthwhile. To my understanding, being rich doesn’t simply mean having so much money. It means having the right amount of money that continuously helps others have opportunities to earn money, too. Being rich means being able to bless other people through the opportunities you’ve created because of your own finances.
In the 14-day period that I’ve spent listening to this audio, I’ve learned different things, too. The impact it has left on my life and my perception of money are massive and every day I applied the insights I learned to different aspects of my life. I also realized that humility plays a vital role in managing money. When you deal with your finances with humility and gratefulness, you’ll veer away from greed.
As Catholics, we’re taught that you can’t bring treasures to Heaven. It’s true. The more we think about how we actually don’t OWN the money we earn, the more we’re not attached to the idea of possessing money. Everything is borrowed in this life. The sooner we realize that we can only be vessels of positive change and opportunity, the sooner we’ll be able to bless the people around us
I want so much to be so rich that I can provide more opportunities for creativity, empowerment, happiness, and growth. I want to be so rich that I continue blessing my family, friends, and chosen causes. The Gaelle who listened to this audio track isn’t the same Gaelle who’s typing these words. I am now empowered to create massive change with my ideas and talent in order to earn more money to make an impact on the people around me. Like it or not, money creates opportunities.
At the end of the day, being rich doesn’t simply equate to being monetarily abundant. To me, it means being comfortable and secure enough to understand that we don’t own money. We’re lent money and other material things in this world. The humility in this belief keeps us from being manipulated and controlled by money. Being truly rich means being able to provide opportunities for positivity and abundance for others, too.
