How to mix money and spirituality

Money and spirituality may not seem like the most obvious mix, but creating wealth doesn’t make you less spiritual. It’s okay to want nice things or learn sales skills instead of working to erase limiting beliefs.

Over my life, I’ve been both broke and comfortable and can share that neither one moved the needle on my happiness, although comfort is definitely nice. What matters more than the size of your bank account is your relationship to money.

I might also add that from a higher perspective, struggles with money and learning to manage it well may be among the lessons you must learn in this lifetime.

 

Money and spirituality — a healthy perspective

 

1. Money is energy.

During a conversation with a hospice employee once, he mentioned that when he first took his job, he felt funny that the company made money from people dying. I responded that hospice care provides immense value and money quantifies that value. Why do we feel like good work shouldn’t be compensated?

 

Money is not evil. Some of the things people do to get it are.

 

And in yoga teacher training, my teacher said to make sure that we charged at least a little money for our classes after graduating. Money is energy, she said, and if we put ourselves out into the world without return, we will soon feel depleted.

Another word for money is “currency,” with the root word “current,” which means in circulation. Energy flows, wisdom flows, services flow and so does money. Accept it. Ask for it. It does not make you less spiritual, only aware of your value.

Viewed from this perspective, money and spirituality go together like peanut butter and jelly.

 

2. Spend mindfully.

I found one of my old paychecks recently. It was $850 after taxes. I took home $1,700 a month as a newspaper reporter, but I still had a car that ran, new clothes every month (from TJ Maxx), paid my bills on time, and saved $200 each month. It was an amazing simple time, but I counted every penny. Not because I was miserly, but because I was mindful about my money and how I spent it.

I didn’t buy coffee at the cafe every day and thought hard about whether I needed that $2.50 fancy drink, most often deciding against it. Now I don’t have to think so hard about those decisions, but the lessons I learned in those days will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The point is that I had exactly enough those days, and not a penny more. No matter how much money you have, you’ll always want more. If you spend mindfully and establish priorities, you will always have enough for the things that matter.

In fact, because I spent mindfully, I still had money for “you only live once” days. I’d splurge or do something fun and didn’t worry about it. It’s important to see money as a resource, a medium for exchange.

I will say that during those days, I saw money as something you had to lie, cheat and steal for. When considering money and spirituality, it’s important to shift into the truth that you can make money and be successful while also being kind and helping to improve the world.

 

Trust that you’ll always have what you need.

 

3. Writing sales copy can be spiritual.

The idea that you can’t do good work and earn good money keeps a lot of people unnecessarily poor. Or the idea that if it’s meant to be, the universe will deliver it to us.

Sometimes, we need to hustle. Often, hustling is not viewed as spiritual. We believe in retaining the purity of our work so avoid changing things to achieve more. I’m going through this right now with my blog. Traffic isn’t as high as I’d like, so I’m learning how to research keywords to write better posts.

Ultimately, I’m doing this because I want to serve more people. The more people I serve, the more I earn. Earning more money will help me thrive and prosper, which will improve my work, which will help the world.

 

Sometimes staying authentic is just a code word for staying in our comfort zone and resisting the chance to grow.

 

At the same time, if you’re happy with your current level of earning, why try for more just because society tells you only high-earners are successful? Just because money and spirituality mix doesn’t mean you have to be rich.

Maybe you want recognition and not money, or the satisfaction of helping people. How do you define success? Make sure you’re working to achieve that, not an arbitrary goal.

 

4. Money is a neutral resource.

Just because we don’t need a lot of money doesn’t mean that it’s bad to have it. Money is a wonderful tool. When we have extra money, we can help other people. When we avoid earning money thinking it’s not spiritual, we sometimes need others’ help to survive.

When we have money, we can buy experiences like travel, wonderful food and things that make our lives beautiful. We’re only here for such a short time, we should enjoy ourselves, not punish ourselves with austerity. Find a balance.

This isn’t to say that if you need financial help, you’re doing something wrong, only that avoiding money hurts not only you, but society. If more conscious people were CEO-rich, this world would look a lot different. I think it’s our duty to gather resources and work to heal the world. Everything costs money, and when people with heart have dollars, the world can change.

 

Money is our reality. Capitalism is our reality. It does no good to resist reality. We must accept it and do the best we can within its framework.

 

5. Know your worth.

Self-love is the key that unlocks the door to a fulfilling life. A lot of times, as your self-worth rises, so does your net worth.

When you know your worth, you ask for more. You charge more. You allow yourself to receive money because you allow yourself to receive energy and be supported by the universe.

Ask yourself:

• Do I say yes to low-paying jobs because I feel I’m not worthy of a high salary?
• Do I look wistfully at high-earners and feel there’s something they have that I don’t, even if they have similar experience?
• Do I judge wealthy people because I don’t make much money?
• Do I sabotage myself by not marketing or learning new skills that could create more wealth, thinking what’s meant to be will be?
• Do I spend time more time thinking about how to change my thoughts or energy rather than exploring ways of changing my actions?

Of course, not everyone wants to make more money, and that’s totally fine.  Loving yourself means you know money is not the sole determinant of worth. Loving yourself means you don’t sacrifice your health, family, or enjoyment of life just to earn more.

Do you think money and spirituality mix? How do you mindfully spend and earn? Share in the comments below!

 

Who do you know interested in growing their self worth and their net worth? Share this article with them! They’ll appreciate you for it.

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