The absence of money carries with it a terrible shame that can eat at your self-worth, making you feel inadequate as a parent, friend, or individual. Society often equates financial status with personal worth, and the psychological toll this takes is undeniable. The fallacy that by not being wealthy, you’re somehow less valuable as a person, is corrosive. I’ve seen how this mindset can lead to a vicious cycle where financial struggles become personal failures in one’s own eyes.
On the flip side, money provides the liberating power to choose which problems to engage with. It offers the unique privilege of directing your attention where you want it, closing doors you prefer to remain shut and opening new ones that were previously inaccessible. Contrary to popular sentiment that “money doesn’t matter,” it certainly does. It won’t solve all your problems, but it’ll let you choose your battles. In my observation, this ability to focus attention is perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of financial freedom.
However, the irony here is that while money opens doors, it can’t fundamentally change who you are or fill the gaps in your self-worth created by societal judgments. While it can buy freedom of choice, it can’t buy self-esteem or the feeling of being enough just as you are. The key takeaway? While money is a powerful tool that can make life easier and open up choices, it’s not an elixir for deeper, existential concerns.
So, the question we should perhaps be asking is not just how much money we need, but what we aim to achieve with it, both materially and emotionally. Because at the end of the day, financial success is only one form of success—and there are many levers in life that money simply can’t pull.
Read more at: The Levers That Money Can’t Pull
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