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Why My Attitude to Money Was Fixed at 12
It’s hard to shake off the life lessons of our formative years.
Money makes the world go round, and none of us can exempt ourselves from its realities. Perhaps that’s why it can be so divisive, and why there are as many attitudes towards it as there are currencies.
Some people want money for its own sake, they want to accumulate as much of it as possible and even when they have plenty, they still want more. These are the people who are never satisfied.
At the other end of the scale are those who want nothing to do with money. They think it is a toxic substance, poisoning society’s fabric. They opt out and live—to the greatest extent possible—off the grid. Oftentimes, they are people who once proudly belonged to category one above.
Then there is the messy middle. These people want enough for a good life, but aren’t sure what constitutes plenty. They are on the receiving end of market forces, but rarely influence them. Some are hoarders, some are big spenders. Some buy on credit, some think of debt as the Devil incarnate. And situational circumstance is important. I know plenty of “on paper” millionaires who genuinely and sincerely think of themselves as poor because, in the circles in which they move, they are.
