The Longest Relationship You Didn’t Think Of
If you consider the longest relationships over the course of your life–parents, siblings, childhood friends, your children — I’d bet there is one long-hauler you didn’t think of.
Granted, this is a bit of a trick since you probably didn’t consider non-human relationships.
And it’s not your pets either, even though most people wish animal friends shared many more years of our lives than they do… this one is much longer than dog years.
Meet Your Lifelong Companion: Money
One of the longest relationships in your life is with money.
Money is a part of your life before you even realize it exists. It grows up with you, from your first allowance to those major purchases like a first car or big vacation.
When Money Becomes the Enemy
While it can start out as a great pal that lets you buy yourself the occasional treat after school, for many of us, our relationship with money evolves as we grow older. And not always in a good way.
Rather than seeing it as an ally, money begins to feel like an adversary.
There’s never quite enough, it’s not stretching like it should, and there’s a good chance it’s gone completely feral and is chewing holes in your favorite socks while you sleep.
Not fun.
A Perspective Shift: Money as a Tool
For me, accepting that money was not only here to stay, but a tool that I could use to my benefit was the perspective shift I needed to thrive.
Because let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of good alternatives to living a life with money.
In theory, you could caper off into the wild and live a hermetic life as one with nature, forgoing money and living off the land.
Personally, while I already have the beard for that life, I just can’t imagine it being as satisfying as a cozy life with my family with a warm bed and a roof over my head.
Roasted squirrel just doesn’t have the same appeal. 🐿 🤢
Rethink Your Relationship with Money
At the end of the day, money isn’t going anywhere anytime soon – so why not take a step back and look at it differently?
Instead of seeing your relationship with money as an adversary, try looking at it as both a teacher and a partner.
For me, this means checking in with myself often on what truly matters and examining how I can better use finances to reach my goals.
Are there places your money is going that, upon reflection, doesn’t feel worth the expense, while another area makes your heart sing but is underfunded?
Say Hello to Your Financial Partner
Today’s a good day to say “hello friend” to your money and consider if the partnership you’re in together is a good one.
Money might very well be the longest relationship of our lives – but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing!
Avraham
Financial Coach
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