Your Own Personal Pot Of Gold

Originally uploaded by duckiemonster

How much do you like money? A lot? A WHOLE lot?

How often does it influence your decisions? What percentage of your day is devoted to the pursuit of it? Has your personal value system ever been altered by it?

Money is a huge part of our lives, but we rarely talk about it except in very limited terms: "I need to make more money", "That's too expensive", "You owe me five bucks".

Rarely do we think about its deeper impact on our psyches.

Have you ever done something you didn't feel good about for money?
As a waitress, this issue arises daily because, in every customer interaction, the all-important tip is on the line. Do you flirt with the guy at the bar who is demeaning you, so you can part him from a little more of his cash?

Has money ever come between you and a friend? (i.e. He's not pulling his own weight, or she's taking advantage of me). How much is too much for the friendship to bear? What is the friendship worth, monetarily? 20 bucks? A hundred? A thousand?

Recently, I've become aware of the desire of people to take any talent or skill a person possesses and commercialize it: Bake really great pies? You should sell them! Enjoy helping your elderly neighbour with yard work? Why not start a small business?!

For a while I was working two jobs, one in the day, and another at night. At first it was exciting to see how much money I could make, how little sleep I could survive on. But eventually, I began to notice changes in myself. I felt my normally cheery disposition begin to sour. By the end of a workweek, I was screaming profanities at people in my head over the tiniest things. I also became slightly obsessed with the growth in my savings account, determined to hang on to every last dollar.

I had literally chosen money over my soul.

Still, everyone needs money to live on. The fact is, that most of us will be faced, at one point or maybe often, with a choice to make between more money or more time.

Neither of these choices is wrong in and of themselves. They are right or wrong only in relation to the way they affect your quality of life, and that of the people around you.

But, when the time comes, let the decision be yours and yours alone. Don't let the pressure of a money-obsessed world decide your values for you.