#4 - Money Is The Root Of All Evil

Money is a mirror. See how you can reflect inward to change your money beliefs to make an impactful change with your money story. Welcome to another captivating episode of Always and Never About Money, where we're here to challenge long-held beliefs and inspire fresh perspectives on personal finance and growth (and business, because let's be real personal habit are also our business money habits). In this intriguing episode, Chelsea delves deep into the age-old notion that money is the root of all evil.

Episode Highlights:

1. Questioning the Narrative: Chelsea kicks things off by asking the hard-hitting questions: Why do we say this about money? Why do we think it? Why do we choose to believe it?
2. Money as a Tool: Let's shift our focus to the truth—money is not inherently evil; it's a tool. Money empowers individuals with more options and access. What truly matters is how one chooses to leverage it.
3. The Role of Character and Values: Chelsea examine how unchecked character and values can surface in our financial decisions, often amplified by the presence of money. Money doesn't make choices; people do.
4. Reflection and Transformation: Drawing parallels to self-help and personal growth, Chelsea emphasizes the importance of looking in the money mirror. It serves as a reflection of your core values, character, and decision-making patterns.
5. Your Journey to Financial Freedom: Discover the power of reflection in propelling personal growth and financial wisdom. Understand that money is not evil; it merely magnifies the choices we make.

Join us on this eye-opening journey as Chelsea challenges the notion that money is inherently evil and offer insights on how to take control of your financial narrative. Tune in now for a transformative episode that will reshape your perspective on money and its role in your life's journey. 

Always and Never About Money Episode Links:
Video Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MoneyMasteryWithChelsea
Socials: https://linktr.ee/the_money_whisper
Money Mastery Website: www.moneymastery.work
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AlwaysandNeverMoney/

Transcript

 Welcome to Always and Never About the Money. Are you ready to embark on a journey that will forever change the way you perceive money? Well, get ready because we're about to dive deep into the fascinating world of finances and human behavior. I'm your host, Chelsea Williams and Money Whisperer. I'm here to help you realize what your money story is telling you and how you can change it.

But hold on tight, because this is not the dull black and white talk about money. We're going to splash all the color into this typical nap inducing conversation. On Always and Never About the Money, we're going to explore the intricate relationship between money and our daily lives. From the impact history has left on us and how we still manage it, how your habits shape your money, and what beliefs are driving your habits, choices, and relationships.

To the deeper values and emotions we've come to attach to it. We're going to unravel it all through insightful conversation and personal anecdotes. We'll bring you the expert insights, real life stories, and meaningful, thought provoking ideas that will inspire you, educate you, and initiate some serious perspective change when it comes to your money.

Remember, money is just a tool. Together, we'll untangle the web of emotions, beliefs, and values we've come to attach to it and find a new perspective on how it can enhance our lives. So whether you're looking for motivation, practical advice, or a good laugh, always and never about the money's got you covered.

Thank you for joining us in this transformative journey. Get ready to challenge your beliefs and embark on a financial exploration like no other. Without further ado, let's kick off the episode of Always and Never About the Money.

Money is the root of all evil. Why do we say this? Why do we think this? Why do we choose to believe this? I think it's because on the surface, we see a lot of people using money to do bad things, to hurt people, to spread negativity. And that definitely happens. But why are we blaming it on the money? What money does is it gives people more options and more access.

The options that that person chooses is on that person, right? Not the money. They just made a decision and because they had money to leverage, they were able to take action on that decision in that direction. So saying that money is the root of all evil doesn't make sense to me. Money changes people, yes, but those people also allowed themselves to change.

They allowed themselves to choose the options, leveraging their money, that created negativity, right? Hitler was Hitler before the money, and what Hitler did required a lot of money. We just saw it on a grand scale, because money creates access. And can create exposure. Money is also necessary for good.

Martin Luther King would have never made the impact that he had made without money. And the amount of money it takes to create impact can be very different. Martin Luther King wasn't known for his wealth. He was known for his impact. When he did receive money for the Nobel peace prize, he donated it all.

Because Martin Luther King was Martin Luther King before the money. And for him, money was a vessel and it didn't require that much to do what he had set out to do. He used his money to make decisions that were in line with his character and his values. It's not that money is the root of all evil. It's that unchecked character and values can show up in money on a bigger scale and create a bigger impact of negativity.

And I think blaming it on the money must make us feel better somehow. It must, it must help us reinforce the idea that too much money is a bad thing. Money is just a mirror. It can be used as a mirror. It's a reflection of your decisions. It's a paper trail of the choices that you make. So if money is a mirror and it's not really about the money, it's about you, your core values, your character, and how that shows up in the tangible world.

Let's compare it to self help, self growth. What do they say? What do they tell you to do? You gotta look in the mirror. You gotta look and observe and digest. What is it that you see in yourself? What are your core values? What, what is your character? How is that showing up in the world and the people around you, the people that you love?

How do you show up in your mirror? Once you look and you see what it is that you don't like, that you want to change, that makes you unhappy, you reflect on how it got that way. Reflection propels growth so much because when we reflect, we can see the path that we chose. It's not about what we could do.

It's about what we have done and taking accountability for that. And if we understand how we got to this place where we're not happy with what we're doing, what we're feeling, what we're seeing, it makes it easier to look forward and avoid making the same decisions that led you to a place. That you really don't want to be.

And then you establish a new way. Establish the values and beliefs that you want to live by. What are your decision making pillars? And practice. We can't just look in the mirror and have a five minute sesh and be good. We have to practice. And practice makes progress. And that's really what it's about, because there is no destination.

There is only the journey. The ongoing cycle of checking yourself. So saying money is the root of all evil. Money shows up as evil because core values and character goes unchecked. Intention goes unchecked or uncared for. So when you look at your money and where it tells you you're investing it, is it to help other people?

Is it to educate yourself? Is it to create growth in your life? Is it to create moments and fun with the people that you love? Is it showing you that you're making careless decisions? Like signing up for subscriptions thinking, oh, 12 is not much a month, but then you got five subscriptions and three of them you don't even use.

One of them you forgot you signed up for. Money. Isn't the root of all evil. It can, however, magnify the negative decisions that you choose to make in your life when gone unchecked. It's hard looking in the money mirror, looking at your money and realizing that you're living beyond your means is a hard pill to swallow.

And then if you decide that you want to change your situation, you are literally uprooting. It can feel like your life. If you find yourself in a situation where you bought a house that you really couldn't afford, say you even have kids and a family, a husband, a wife, your money has gone unchecked for so long that you're now in a situation that's causing so much stress and strain in the bank and in yourself and in your relationships and in your home, maybe.

That is a really hard decision. That is really hard to take action and change your money situation. If you're in a situation where you're not really living that glamorous and you're not making a lot of money and you look at your money and you struggle with believing that you can make more, that's hard.

That's a self belief thing. You really have to ask yourself why though. The rule of three, ask yourself, why go three layers deep into why is it that you're looking in your money mirror and saying, it's going to be so hard to make more money. So we're faced with this choice to make hard decisions, do the hard things.

It's just a matter of, are you going to do it or are you going to continue to live where you're at? Are you staying in a familiar pain to avoid an unfamiliar progress? And that's the hardest part. The hardest part is doing the hard things. Once you do them and you start to practice new money habits. It gets easier.

It's still hard. It's hard to say, no, I'm not going to go out to dinner, uh, this week. No, I can't go out drinking with my friends. I really want this new thing, but I really can't get it. Because then we start to think, oh, I'm not doing good enough. I, I can't be happy. I can't do the things I want to do. I don't feel freedom, but which pain is greater?

Having what feels like freedom because you have the things that you want, but it's going to come back to get you because you can only do that. So long with something like money or the temporary pain that comes with changing your money habits, changing your money story, and then getting to this place of freedom is you had to wait for it.

18.

And you got all those credit card applications in the mail, not ever having been taught and educated and practiced the art of managing money. You were given instant gratification. You were given the option for instant gratification. And a lot of us took it because we didn't know any better. We couldn't see it.

We didn't realize what was really happening. And we weren't taught how to manage it. And that's a habit. That's your character. Are you looking for instant gratification? Or do you have a plan that outlasts the next day? The next week? The next month or year? Or years? And that's what you have to establish when you're looking in the mirror, what is it that you want out of your time, out of your money, out of your life, out of your relationships, out of your career, what is it that you want?

What does that mean in money and how can you get there? If you allow your core values and your character to go unchecked, it'll show up in the money. And because you have more options, you have more opportunity to reinforce those decisions, those habits. That pattern, which is going to create your path.

And yeah, some paths do come off as evil. Some paths really do spread negativity. That's reality, but it doesn't have to be yours. Okay. Listeners. Here's the deal. We're on a mission with this podcast and I need your help. It kills me inside that people are not being taught about money and they are suffering because of it, especially our younger generations who are in school and not learning about it.

My big hairy audacious goal is that I want to be something like the female Dave Ramsey and spread financial literacy like wildfire. So we can change the course of history together. So now I'm recruiting you to help me in this vision, and I'm incentivizing you to spread the word with some pretty cool giveaways.

Once we reach 50 subscribers, we are chucking out some goodies to the world. So here's what you need to do. Subscribe to our podcast and turn on those notifications. Repost or share wherever you're hearing or seeing this. And submit the form for our giveaway. That form will be either in the show notes if you're hearing this on the podcast, social posts, we'll have them in the comments, and we also have it in our link tree.

The literal day that we reach our first goal of 50 subscribers, we've got three chances for you to win. Our first giveaway is going to be your choice of AirPod Pros or Samsung Buds, a t shirt, and a free money strategy session with yours truly. The second giveaway is an Amazon gift card, that same t shirt and the free session.

And the third giveaway is the t shirt and the free session. I am so grateful to have all the listeners of Always and Never about the money. And I think that together we can change the world's money story. If

you liked this episode, be sure to show some love by subscribing and turning on those notifications. You can find me on Instagram under The Money Whisperer. And also where we encourage you to contribute, to join the conversation, ask questions, and share your thoughts so we can create more episodes tailored exactly to what you want to know about money.

I'm your host and your personal money whisperer. Until next time, remember it is always and never about the money.