“You always knew it wasn’t just the money. Money’s security, and it’s a symbol. But it isn’t the thing. It’s knowing what to do with it. Lots of people have money. They make it or they take it. But not everybody builds something with it.”
For so long I thought it was about the money. “If I just make more money, I’d be fine. I could get out of debt and then I’d be comfortable. I wouldn’t be scared anymore.” But focusing on the money itself got me nowhere.
I learned what to do with it. I started slowly – putting some money into a savings account to cover non-monthly expenses, such as medical bills and holidays. I learned that these are periodic expenses. As I paid off my debt, I was able to avoid incurring new debt because I had money in my periodic savings account to pay those expenses, and put money into periodic savings to ensure those expenses would be covered.
As I broke out of the debt cycle, I became more confident, less scared. I learned to save and invest. As my external net worth improved, so did my self-worth. I’m building security for my senior self.
What is money to you?
What does it symbolize?
What are you building with it?
