Does money make you happy or does it make you rich? Are you just as happy with or without a lot of money? Or do you measure your happiness by your bank account?
It’s a natural enough to sigh occasionally and say “A lot of money would make me happy” when we really mean “A lot of money would make me rich.”
Here’s what Arnold Schwarzenegger has to say about this subject.
“Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.”
And he should know. Most sources estimate his net worth at around $100,000,000. In just two years (2000-2001), he earned over $57,000,000.
Here’s why our understanding of money and happiness is important.
If we harbor the unconscious attitude that money is undesirable and large sums of money are even more undesirable, the mind will short-circuit our best efforts to get rich. Too often, the mind misinterprets the thought “money isn’t everything” or “money doesn’t make you happy” and turns it into a general belief that “money is bad.”
This is because the mind generalizes and deletes as it processes information. So the statement “money doesn’t make you happy” may cause the mind to leap to the generalization that it isn’t good at all. In the process, we delete all the instances where money (and lots of it) would be wonderful.
Therefore, thoughts like “money isn’t everything” or “money doesn’t make you happy” may cause us to marginalize our relationship with money on an unconscious level. And since unconscious attitudes resonate beneath our everyday awareness, we can misfire at crucial moments and not understand why or how fortune slipped away.
I’ve observed this many times in good people who sincerely desire success and are willing to work for it. Obviously, this is not an issue for “the governator.” I infer that he realizes that money doesn’t buy happiness and, at the same time, realizes that large sums of money (even very large sums) are wonderful.
Here’s a technique I designed to challenge any thought or feeling that “money is bad” and interferes with your happiness.
Take a deep breath. Elevate your gaze as if looking at an imaginary point just above a distant horizon.
Call to mind an image of a dollar bill, the dollar sign, a stack of money, or any other image of physical money that occurs to you.
Ask this image:
“How does _________ (insert your first name) feel you affect his or her happiness?”
“Does _________ (insert your first name) equate you with potential unhappiness if he or she has lots of you?”
Let your creative mind answer. Accept the first response that pops into your mind.
Then ask the image:
“How would I regard you if I was happy and rich?”
“If I was happy anyway, what would you mean to me if I already had lots of you and still wanted lots more?”
This inner dialogue will help you say “Hasta la vista, baby!” to thoughts that limit your money and happiness.
Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at http://www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .
