We can’t deny the fact that we need money. We need money to pay our bills. We also need it to advance in our lives (e.g. for education). But what is the right way to treat money? How can we live a meaningful life without money worries?
I believe this quote by Jonathan Swift gives us a good answer:
A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.
I like this quote. In my opinion, it captures the essence of how our attitude toward money should be. Money should be in your head, but not in your heart.
What does it mean?
First, it means that you should think about money and treat it in a rational way. You should think about how to make money. More importantly, however, you should think about how to manage it. There are many people who make a lot of money but live in a financial mess because they can’t manage it.
Second, it means that money shouldn’t be your main motivation. It shouldn’t be the main thing that drives your decisions. If it does, you might be wealthy on the outside, but feel empty on the inside. There is only one way to live a meaningful life: by contributing to a cause that you care about.
Here are four tips to help you apply the principle:
1. Find your cause.
What dissatisfaction do you have about the world that you can do something about? What is the place where you want to and can make a difference?
In my case, it bothers me to see people (including myself) live below their full potential. That’s my cause in starting this blog. I want to help people reach their full potential. This gives me a sense of purpose.
You can apply this to your work. Ask yourself: what can I contribute? How can I make a difference?
2. Make your cause your motivation.
After finding your cause, make it your motivation. Make it your main reason for doing things. I can assure you: this will make you excited because you have a sense of purpose.
3. Educate yourself in personal finance.
When it comes to dealing with money, the first thing you should do is educate yourself. A good resource for this is Investopedia. Read the articles there and you will have a good foundation.
4. Build a system for your personal finance.
Based on what you learn in personal finance, you should then build a system to manage your money. The system will help you manage your money in a rational way.
Your system should include tracking your expenses. This is important to help you make rational decisions. Do you know how much money you spent last month? And do you know exactly what you spent it on? Start tracking your expenses if you haven’t.
You should put money in your head, but not in your heart. By applying the tips above, you will get the best of both worlds: you will live a meaningful life without money worries.
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