As important as it is in our society, the way we perceive money and the purpose it serves has a huge impact on our lives.

But what is money, really? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law, money is “an accepted or authorized medium of exchange.” It’s a modern-day replacement of the barter system where two people would enter into an agreement to exchange goods or services of a similar perceived value.

Breaking the Cycle

Employers who are successful in keeping worker morale high give raises on a regular basis. At first it might seem like a fair exchange but, inevitably, inflation sets in and the perceived value of our hard-earned dollar starts to diminish. When the ends no longer justify the means, we find ourselves sifting through the want ads once again.

The truth is, most of us are accustomed to accepting money in return for doing tasks we don’t enjoy. For some people, this pattern might continue throughout their entire lifetime, for me however, I was able to break the cycle early on. It’s only now, though, that I’m beginning to understand some of its long-term side-effects.

May Cause Drowsiness, Nausea…

As job dissatisfaction increases, over time we start to see our bi-weekly paychecks not as compensation for our time and effort, but as a deserved payoff for the frustration or discomfort we experience in the daily grind. Even industry standard terms like “shift differentials” and “hazard pay” have been coined to support this common expectation. The more terrible the job, the better the pay.

The old cliché ”do what you love and the money will follow” sounds great, and many times it’s completely true. The disconnect, however, is that at its very core, this statement is completely contradictory to the pattern of exchange that most of us have identified with our entire working lives.

For those of us fortunate enough to do what we love on a daily basis, accepting money in return for following our heart might even seem wrong or exploitative. Shouldn’t the satisfaction we derive from expressing our creative gifts be payment enough? Isn’t it selfish or overindulgent to accept money in addition to the pleasure we already receive from investing our time and effort?

Energy Exchange

If you struggle, as I do, with these concepts, consider the following example:

1. Farmer John loves the outdoors. He spends every day with his family where they tend to a large garden. This year his garden produced a huge crop of corn. John takes one bushel of corn to market and exchanges it for $10.
2. Harry’s Hardware is just down the lane. Harry, Jr. took over the store from his dad a few years back. It’s hard work but Harry really enjoys seeing the family business grow.
3. John wants a new shovel for his garden and so he pays a visit to Harry’s Hardware. Harry is happy to sell John a shovel.
4. In exchange, John gives Harry $10.

In this example both Harry and John:

• derive satisfaction and pleasure from their work, and also
• accept money in return for their time and effort.

Financial Healing

Are you stifling your own financial success with subconscious feelings of guilt for accepting money in exchange for Exploring your Passion? It’s perfectly healthy and completely natural to both love your work and be paid to do it. Old habits may die hard but they do eventually die. Just by acknowledging our self-sabotaging beliefs we can begin to loosen their grip on our subconscious and improve our financial health.