Blueprint >> Money

Disclaimer: This document is in raw form as I process and distill 4 years-worth of my personal development notes. Expect some typos and cryptic language for now. I will be updating frequently and polishing up.

Prescription: Understand money. Learn to think properly about money.
Related Concepts: Provide Value, Limiting Beliefs, Career, Be a Creator, Be World Class

What is Money?

...

Why is it Important?

Lack of money, and misunderstand of money, can lead to great misery, from broken marriages, to heart-attacks, to suicides. Most people have dysfunctional thinking about money.

Money Videos

[coming soon...]

Money: Key Points

Make an effort to learn how money work, how it's acquired, how it's wasted, and what it can and cannot do for you. Popular culture and media does a terrible job of teaching us about the realities of money. People make catastrophic life mistakes when they're naïve about money.

If you refuse to exercise self-control, no amount of money will be enough. If you don't understand the basics of how to manage money, you will lose it all, even if you have a lot right now.

Money is not good or bad. Money is a neutral tool that can be used for good or for bad, just like any other tool.

Money is important, but it will not make you sustainably happy. Money should be used to create a baseline level of comfort and security, but it cannot allow you to attain the highest levels of happiness and satisfaction in life. Money cannot replace the need for personal growth.

It's hard to be happy if you have no money at all because you'll be frustrated struggling just to get your most basic needs met like food, water, shelter, electricity, and healthcare. Getting your basic needs completely out of the way is the best strategy for self-actualization. You simply won't have the discipline to care about truth, beauty, justice, or contribution when you can't afford your electric bill.

It's very dangerous to fall into the money trap, where you use money to create an artificial high, making you lazy and slug-like, and low-consciousness. This is how rockstars, actors, athletes, celebrities, and lottery winners ruin their lives.

The right money strategy is to make enough to meet your all your basic needs and basic luxuries, then save the rest for something important. Don't use money to buy stupid shit because it won't make you substaintially happier. After you've attained a baseline level of security, use self-development to make yourself happy.

Eliminate the most common limiting beliefs about money:

• Money is bad or evil.
• Making money is hard.
• There is not enough money in the world to go around.

Stupid things to spend money on:

• Fancy or additional cars
• Fancy or additional houses
• Parties
• Liquor, drugs, opulent food
• Toys and gadgets
• Expensive antiques/collectables/art
• Expensive fashion
• Lavish hotels
• Speculative investments

Smart things to spend money on:

• Books, seminars, coaching, training, education
• Your primary house, basic home furnishings
• Your primary car
• Utilities
• Household supplies and necessities
• Travel, holidays, vacations
• Productivity technology like: smartphone, PC, laptop, software, LCD screen
• High quality whole/organic food
• Medical treatment, medicine, vitamins
• Starting a business
• Professional services: lawyer, accountant, physician, physical trainer, coach, etc.
• Hobbies like: sports, musical instruments, fishing, hunting, etc.
• Family, children
• Entertainment: movies, games, books, dates, restaurants, etc.
• Savings, non-speculative investments, 401k, IRA, CDs, bonds, gold, real estate, etc.

In general, if you're not going to be using it on a daily basis, don't buy it. The functional things you use frequently are the ones that increase your happiness. One-off toys, gadgets, or status symbols will not make you happy.

Do NOT lend money to friends, family, or strangers!!! Money lending is a dirty business. You are not in the business of lending money. It will only sour your relations.

References

1. Secretes of Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker
2. The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky