It is important to keep in mind that cultural messages can have a profound influence on your financial attitudes and behaviors. Intellectually you can disagree, but emotionally those money myths can have a profound influence on the level of financial success and life satisfaction that you experience.
In Think Again: New Money Choices, Old Money Myths, Karen Ramsey wrote about the importance of making sure your financial life supports what is most important to you:
Money will only improve the quality of your life when it is used with clarity. Only when you learn to spend money in concert with your underlying values—the things that you most deeply care about—will it become a tool for creating a more fulfilling life.
Therefore, as you plan for your future, it is essential to identify and visualize the various elements you want to include in your life composition. In fact, the greater your understanding of what is truly important to you, the easier it will be to “paint a picture” in your mind of what you want to achieve and experience. The clearer that image becomes, the easier it will be to move toward your vision in a purposeful way.
When you intentionally and progressively make room in your life for what is most important to you, your sense of fulfillment and life satisfaction will multiply. This mindset will not only help to “keep your eye on the prize,” but will also help you to recognize the influence of choices made today on your quality of life in the future.
The bottom line is this: Your financial resources can give you the freedom—now and in the future—to invest your time, energy, and skills in the ways that matter most to YOU. However, money alone can never produce the essential ingredients of a rich and rewarding life such as peace of mind, good health, loving relationships, and meaningful activities.
To get the most value from the money you earn, spend, save, invest, and share, it is important to view wealth as a tool for overcoming challenges and grabbing hold of opportunities that lie ahead on your life’s journey. Always keep in the mind that the essence of real wealth is the wisdom to allocate your financial resources in ways that support your true values and priorities.
