Have you ever wondered about your relationship with money? Many people, and many cultures, have attachment to money, in fact their entire identity is connected to how much money they do or do not have. We consciously or unconsciously judge others depending on how much they make.
I know I myself have had a lot of guilt about having a well-to-do family and many others I have met express guilt about having more than others. As someone of an Asian background, I have been taught since birth to save and hoard money, as it equates to security, and money has been used to control my decisions and actions by others. In Asia, asking someone how much their rent is, or their house costs, or what their salary is, is a normal part of everyday conversation and is very tightly tied in with Face, or reputation, one of the most important parts of identity in our culture.
We have given money the power to determine many factors in our lives and for many, it is the center of their existence, even though we may not be actively conscious of this. Being financially independent is a big part of growing up in most societies, and presents a certain degree of freedom from, for example, family expectation- why is this so connected to money and how we make it? Money was a huge part of why I did not make certain choices earlier in life.
I have always believed money is a tool (just as the Mind and the Ego are!), and we as humans have chosen to let it dictate our lives- we need money to be educated (in much of the world), money to obtain health care, we spend too many hours in the day working in order to earn money so we can eat, so we can own a house, so we can have a car and all the things we think we require. The system has been created to make us chase money, to distract us from what is really going on in the world.
How we view and use money needs to change, as it has in many ecovillages and communities that are off grid, but even then, they operate within and depend on a system that requires money. If we could grow our own food, know how to heal ourselves, educate ourselves and share this with others, money would not be as important as it is today.
The Universe, or my Higher Self, decided to send me a lesson about money recently, and I’d love to share this with you.
Last week, in Orange Walk, Belize, I was checking my bank statements for my Malaysian debit card, which holds almost all of our travel funds. I noticed some large purchases which were not made by me and on further checking, realized someone had obtained a way to use my debit card both online and in person, spending over $5,500 USD. Immediately, I canceled my debit card and called my bank, who have as yet not gotten back to me as to whether they can send me a replacement or refund the unauthorized charges, even stating that bank policy requires me to return to Malaysia and present at my home branch in order to obtain a new card, despite the fact that I am in Central America.
Of course, the first reaction, for a split second, was a stressful sigh of unhappiness and some tears of frustration and guilt for not keeping an eye on my accounts.
Shoulda Woulda Coulda syndrome kicked in.
This was quickly replaced with a feeling of calm, as I thought, “What would a SuperForester do?” The Humanifesto and the many amazing personal anecdotes that people have shared on SuperForest.org ran through my brain.
Niel and I had recently discussed eradicating the world “Should” from our vocabulary and not regretting past actions or decisions.
So I took a deep breath.
I chose to be positive, to see this as something that needed to happen for my personal development and for a reflection on our travel choices.
I chose to send positive vibes to the people who will be helping me on a practical level to fix this “problem”.
I chose to look into my experience which has, over and over again, shown me that everything really does happen for a reason, and that stressing or worrying about a situation ends up being a waste of energy, because it always works out as it should.
I chose to further explore my relationship with money and why such a development upset me so much. I have always been thrifty since I was a child and hate spending money, having a lot of guilt about doing it and scrimping when I don’t need to, regretting it later. A ridiculous cycle of Guilt-Hate-Self Destructive Thoughts.
I chose to keep smiling and to enjoy our time in Belize and..
I even chose to send happiness and love to the person who went on a joyride with my debit card, hoping they enjoy the clothes, flights, hotel rooms and groceries that they bought. As my friend Chris said, “Think of it this way, you made someone’s year!”
A much healthier way to react to this situation!
Who knows what the outcome will be, but it was joyful to have friends, who I know are not in great financial states themselves, to offer to send money, and others sending support and love. This unexpected expression of Love confirmed to me what I’ve always known- I have amazing friends and Love is the greatest gift!
Give and you shall receive, and receive graciously.. the Universe always provides. Superabundance, SuperForesters!
Thank you SuperForest for inspiring me to think differently, to choose happiness and to flow with the moment.
LOVE!
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