There is Only ONE Thing I can Tell You About Money!

"Money Makes the World Go Around..."

Money, money, money...

Whether we have lots of it, or none of it, or enough of it, or NOT enough of it, there's little doubt that most people spend an awful lot of time worrying about money.

Whether You Have it... or Not...

I've tried being extremely poor. I lived in my car for a while, and at one point I didn't even have a car and lived on a bench at a municipal golf course and earned money for food by pulling the aluminum cans from the garbage bins there and selling them to a metal recycler.

At the other end of the scale, I once bought a US $400,000 house with CASH, and still had money left over for remodeling and my daughter's college education. 

I find myself writing these words because the first experience didn't make me feel power-LESS and the latter didn't make me feel power-FUL.

Fortunately, I have spent most of life between these extremes, which allowed me some deeper reflection on what it truly means to have "enough," and what money does, to our lives.

Worrying About Money is a Dead-End Trap!

Don't get me wrong-- I'll be the first to admit that money matters. It "matters" because it affords us the basic comforts of living, hardship when it is absent and often provides a "measuring stick" by which we can evaluate how we are doing in the world.

The problem, however, is that when you focus too much of your energy on money-- getting more, having enough, buying stuff, selling stuff-- it tends to strip you of the ability to focus on more important things in life. You start seeing everything around you in terms of money-- how much things cost, how much you can make...

And yes, most things in life are more important than money!

There's a popular bumper sticker out there that reads "The Best Things in Life Aren't THINGS!" and I find that to hold very true across a wide range of life's offerings.

Whether you are worried about a ZERO bank balance, or one with lots of digits, those numbers are unlikely to give your life deeper meaning. Ans there's a really good chance that spending too much time worrying about them will actually turn you into somewhat of an insufferable jerk. You know, that idiot who invariably turns every conversation onto their latest investment, and how they are going to get a Ferrari when it pays out? 

Don't be that person!

And don't be "that person" who's having a personal financial crisis and meltdown every time their cell phone bill comes due.

Things that Matter...

The reason I ended writing this somewhat atypical (at least for me) post is that our kids came over from Seattle to spend Labor Day weekend with us.

In spite of the fact that we're already dead broke from a month of birthdays (August is busy around here!), and in spite of the fact that we had other stuff planned. 

Because hanging out with them matters.

As do lots of other things in life: pursuing our passions and interests; creating art; spending time with loved ones; reading books; creating something to better the world; cooking the best dinner, ever; visiting other places; listening to music; watching clouds drift by; restoring an old boat... that is where your deeper meaning life comes from. 

Here's a functional afterthought for you: In my seven months on Steemit, I have never worried about money. All I have worried about is creating content I hoped other people would find interesting and participating in the community-- engaging with other content I felt added value. I let the money take care of itself.

Since it's all public information, you can look at my Wallet, if you're curious as to how that approach has worked out for me.

So here's my Labor Day Weekend Wisdom for you: The ONE thing I can tell you about money is that it is just not that important, in the greater scheme of things!

How about YOU? How "important" is money in your life? Do you spend a lot of time watching your wallet and bank balances? Too much, perhaps? Or do you see money more as a "tool" that helps us get more important things? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170904 16:17 PDT