Several years ago a young man made his first million from a business deal, after many failed attempts. He took the proceeds from the deal home and scattered the cash all over his bed. That done he brought out a cane and began to flog the naira notes on his bed, because according to him money had taught him many lessons and it was now his turn to teach money a lesson back.
I don’t care how many lessons, frustrations or stresses money may have put you through in order to acquire it, but it is extremely vital that you treat money with respect. Treating money with utter disregard and disdain will cause it to flee from your life while treating money in the opposite will cause more of it to come to your life.
Essentially this means that you understand and appreciate what money can do for you. Money is your friend, not your enemy. Respecting your money means that you recognize it for what it is – a powerful tool that must be used and managed wisely so that it can help you better your life and the lives of others.
According to Sylvia Chierchia in her online article, “Are you treating your money with respect?” there are four telltale signs that you don’t respect your money:
You have a love hate relationship. You want money and can’t wait to get your hands on it, but when it comes you can’t get rid of it fast enough. Spend, spend and spend until suddenly there is nothing left. You’ve gone from money feast back to the money famine you know so well.
You speak with disrespect about money. Money isn’t that important to me. Money is a pain. Easy come easy go. Money is the root of all evil. Managing money does my head in. If this is what you tell yourself about money, why would money want to come to you? You’re talking yourself right out of prosperity.
You show no love to your cash.Your notes are just shoved into your wallet, all scrunched up and out of order. Your coins are tossed carelessly onto the nearest flat surface and left there. Would you do that to your hobby or work tools? No. So don’t do it to the one tool that will help bring you the standard of living you so desire.
Your bookkeeping is non-existent. I hate numbers. Bookkeeping bores me to tears. We’ve got enough money to pay for dinner, right? So who cares if the books are up to date! How about looking at it this way. Your money needs to be cared for so why not give it a comfortable, clean home? When your books are neat and up to date, you and your money can both rest easy.
No wonder the woman who squeezes currency notes and ties them around her waist or puts it in her bra seems not to have much of it. I urge you to observe how a rich person treats the currency notes in their possession whenever you have the opportunity. They don’t squeeze, deface or trash it so money sees them as a safe pair of hands to commit themselves to.
The question at this juncture becomes what is the best way to treat money. According to Joanna Martin in her article “4 Ways to treat money like a lover,” Money is a force. It is a concentrated symbol of energy and power in life.Most of us are aware of the importance of hard work, determination, and drive to attract money. However, there are also other, more hidden and subtle ways to attract money, wealth, and prosperity. Start taking real care of your money the way you would a treasured relationship and you might find you get the kind of rewards you dream of.
1. Attention
It is a basic law of life that everything –- whether it is a physical object or a human being — responds to greater attention. Money is no exception. The best way to give attention to money is to account for it accurately and in a timely manner. Keeping precise and up-to-date accounts of money is a powerful mechanism for suddenly attracting more of it.
2. Freedom
Like any force, money needs to move freely in order to sustain itself. Holding back on paying, or otherwise hoarding money, prevents the free flow of energy, and thus the free flow of money. Do you insist on getting money in advance before you pay money out on a job? Reversing such an attitude will let money circulate, energy will flow, and life will reward you with good fortune.
3. Respect
If you don’t treat your money with the respect it deserves, don’t be surprised if it walks out on you. If you squander away funds or pay exorbitant amounts for things that can be purchased more cheaply you will repel the arrival of more funds. However, if you discover what it is that you waste your money on, and overcome that habit your bank balance is likely to quickly respond.
4. Affection
We all love money, right? But what do you feel when you think about money? Do you really feel love? Or do you feel stress, pressure, panic and ultimately lack? Replacing these negative emotions with positive ones, so that in time you fell happy and uplifted when you think about money will help money to flow in the right direction.
Treating money like a lover is different from worshipping money. The former connotes having a healthy regard for money while the latter depicts making money the lord over one’s life. Money’s place is not meant to be lord over man, rather it is meant to be a tool under man’s control.
Tools are put to use to achieve an objective; just as an artisan uses tools to do plumbing or other repair jobs, and a surgeon uses surgical tools to perform operations. At no time is the plumbing or surgical tools the major player in the process, rather it is the individual. So money is a tool to achieve the goal of a better life, using it for what it can exchange for. By all means appreciate but don’t worship money. Love and regard does not mean handing money control over your life because money is a lousy master but a faithful servant. Treat money right and it will flow towards you.
Kenneth Doghudje
