By Chinkee Tan
Trial and error. On the job training. Learning from your own mistakes.
Whether we admit it or not, we all had made some money mistakes. Thankfully, as we mature, we learned the proper perspective from which we should see and use money. We began to learn that we should be able to manage money and not allow money to manage us.
The whole idea about having the right perspective about money is so that we will treat it properly. Ideally, we should be the one controlling money and not the other way around.
How will we know if money is controlling us? If we exhibit signs of greediness, then money controls us. If we step on other people just so we can get money, then it is controlling us. If we lose sight of our priorities in life only to earn more money, then it is controlling us.
Here are four simple ways to know if we are using money the right way:
1. WE VIEW MONEY AS A TOOL.
We have an understanding that money is not the end we seek, but that it is a TOOL that will get us to our destination in life. We use it wisely in order for us to establish the kind of life we intended for our family.
2. MONEY IS MAKING OUR LIFE EASIER.
Money is supposed to make things a bit easier for us – easier to buy our basic needs, easier to provide for our children, easier to send them to school, easier to get by in life in general. However, if money is giving us a lot of stress in spite of its abundance, then we can say that it is making our life hard. If this is the case, then money is not working well for us.
3. WE DO NOT ALLOW MONEY TO USE US.
Money can CONTROL us. It can rule over everything we hold to be true in our lives. At some point, it may even derail us from our true priorities in life. If we are missing out on more important things such as spending time with family and taking care of our health, then we can conclude that money has taken control of our lives.
4. WE ARE OWNING OUR MONEY INSTEAD OF MONEY OWNING US.
How would we know if we own the money instead of the other way around? Simple, if we can cheerfully and generously share our money with others. If we cannot give away our money it means to say that it owns us instead of us owning it. We should be reminded that the reason why God desires to bless us is so we can also become a blessing to others.
THINK. REFLECT. APPLY.
What is your view of money? Are you using it as a tool to achieve your goals? Are there areas in your life that are controlled by money? Can you still bless others with the money you earn?
QUOTE
As a tool, money is designed to give us a comfortable life. When it does not achieve this for us, we need to change our perspective of it.
