Why do YOU want more money?

Pay it forward and give. It’s good for you and those around you. It keeps greed at bay because you understand that life is not all about you. The trap to avoid is when your giving creates a dependence rather than empowerment. So don’t support people who don’t want to help themselves. PHOTO| FILE

What you need to know:

  • Once the basics are sorted, we want money to spend.
  • There are lots of things to enjoy, but remember: The world will never run out of things to spend money on. Enjoying is also a trap.
  • You can also get stuck here if you don’t identify what ‘enjoy’ means to you.
  • Forget FOMO; only spend money on the things you truly enjoy lest you work your fingers to the bone to buy what other people say you should enjoy then find it to be a complete disappointment.

Why do you want more money? The person with Sh100 wants another and another. Even the person with Sh1 billion seems to want another billion. So we all want, nay, need more money no matter how much we already have. But why?

Everybody’s life journey is different and we are in different seasons at different periods of our lives. When you recognise where you are and what is important to you at that point in time, you then find the motivation to do what you have to do. Different people will prioritise different things and plan differently, so this is not a template. Today’s article is just to help you discover what is important to you right now.

The most basic requirement we all have for money is to survive. To eat, drink, go to school, find shelter and put clothes on our back. This has to be covered before we can even think about other motivations for money. Survival means different things to different people, so identify what survival means to you. Plan your money to guarantee your survival, at the very least. Be creative about earning more. Work on increasing your income. But beware the trap of survival. If you get stuck there, all you will think about and work towards is survival. That is why the other motivations are important. I have met people over time who have so many opportunities surrounding them, but they can’t see it because their core belief is that life is hard. You must leave space to grow.

The other trap of survival is that survival costs can get bigger. Some people keep increasing their costs so that they are always living hand-to-mouth. We need shelter to survive but cut your coat to fit your pocket.

Once the basics are sorted, we want money to spend. There are lots of things to enjoy, but remember: The world will never run out of things to spend money on. Enjoying is also a trap. You can also get stuck here if you don’t identify what ‘enjoy’ means to you. Forget FOMO; only spend money on the things you truly enjoy lest you work your fingers to the bone to buy what other people say you should enjoy then find it to be a complete disappointment. When you identify what you like, you are motivated to make it happen.

The other motivation we have for money is to grow. Humans were built for growth. This is why the people we perceive to be so wealthy are still striving. The need for achievement does not go away. We need to be constantly testing our boundaries. It is important for all of us to identify what growth looks like for ourselves. This is why we need a vision and goals. Growth is never where you are, it is where you are going.

Growth is good. However, it must not turn to greed. I believe we are seeing far too many examples of greed around us. That is growth unchecked. Greed happens at the expense of others, even those trying to survive. Greed is insatiable. It is never enough. There is always more money to make. Greed happens when we are caught up trying to outdo others, or when we don’t listen to caution, fact or even instinct telling us it is time to exit. We just think that the price will keep going higher. Grow but beware of greed.

Finally there is the motivation to give. Many people don’t allow this motivation in. Survival, enjoyment and greed will not leave room to give. However, giving opens the door to possibility. When you give, you recognise that you have, and you then deal with money very differently. In some way or form, all of us have been beneficiaries of somebody else’s giving whether it’s time, money, ideas, opening of doors, etc. Pay it forward and give. It’s good for you and those around you. It keeps greed at bay because you understand that life is not all about you. The trap to avoid is when your giving creates a dependence rather than empowerment. So don’t support people who don’t want to help themselves.

 

Waceke runs a programme on personal financial management and wealth creation. To sign up, email her at [email protected]| Facebook/centonomy or go to www.centonomy.com