Is Money Everything, After All?

Money.  We’ve heard all the sayings:  “Money isn’t everything.”  “Money can’t buy happiness.”  “You can’t take it with you.”  We spend an awful lot of time and attention talking about how money doesn’t deserve our time and attention.  But at the end of the month . . . the rent is still due.  Part of reaching your state of self actualization is feeling in control of your finances and happy with your work.How satisfied are you with your financial life?  Take this quiz to find out.  For each of the following statements, answer True, False, or Sort of:

1. I’m happy with my progress in my career.
2. I feel respected at work.
3. Most months I’m able to meet my bills without worrying about it.
4. If I lost my income tomorrow, my family would be okay for at least six months.
5. I feel like I’m doing the right work for my talents and personality.
6. In my own little way, I make a difference in the world by going to work every day.
7. I’m able to provide my family with everything it needs, plus some of the extras that make life worth living.
8. I’m clear on where I’m headed with my career goals.
9. I’m clear on my financial goals (and in harmony with my partner, if I have one).
10. My partner and I are usually able to come to a peaceful agreement about where our money will go.
11. Every so often, I sit down, consider where I am and where I’m going, and then I adjust my path accordingly.
12. I feel like I have the opportunity to reach my professional potential.
13. People who are much richer than I am may be interesting, but what they do doesn’t affect me particularly.
14. Most days I look forward to going to work.
15. I feel like my work environment promotes professional growth and a good work attitude.
16. If the car breaks down or the washer gives out, it’s a nuisance, but it’s not a financial disaster.
17. I can handle most financial emergencies without using credit cards.
18. I either pay my credit cards off each month or I don’t use them at all.
19. My partner and I are honest with each other about money.
20. I save money for what I want to buy.

The ideal response to all of these statements is “true.”  If you found you had a lot of different answers, that’s an indication that career and finances are an area of your life that could use some work.   We all know that worshipping money is a bad idea, but that isn’t a caution only for wealthy people.  Often the people who are most obsessed with money are the ones who don’t have any – who struggle from month to month and spend undue amounts of time wish for things that they can’t have and making occasional impulsive decisions that cost them long term.  Whether you’re rich or poor or somewhere in between, if you’re worshipping or obsessing about money, you won’t achieve self actualization.  You need to have a mastery over your career and finances.

We’ll talk about how to achieve that mastery later.

Roger K. Allen, Ph.D. is an expert in personal transformation, leadership, and teams. His tools and methods have helped hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of people transform the ways they work and live. To learn more, visit www.rogerkallen.com.