Welcome back.
Last week we spoke about Health (and root causes) and this week we will be talking about MONEY.
Especially as many people might have a bit less at this time of the year (January) after Christmas and the end of year (and start of year) festivities.
You know I am a big fan of Wisdom (knowledge + experience).
Increasing wisdom grants us the opportunity to make better choices (and co-create our destiny).
So I have been curious to better understand things like Digital ID’s, digital currencies (e.g. Bitcoin, etc.), central bank digital currencies, and the likes; as money impacts us all.
I recently watched a Dutch-produced documentary called State of Control and I also read a book by of one of the presenters (Brett Scott), called ‘Cloud Money‘, which was quite insightful. Plus one of my favourite reads in 2021 was ‘Your Money or Your Life‘ by Vicki Robin.
Robin talked about the idea of figuring out your ‘enough and then some‘ financial annual income number. I like the idea of working out exactly how much I need to earn over a year, then doing some reverse engineering to see what value I need to offer (in a year) in order to create that. It also means I don’t just fill up all my time with making money – if I don’t really need to.
I LOVE having more time to do cool stuff, as opposed to working mindlessly on a hamster wheel to make money I don’t really need, which is most likely be spent on stuff I don’t really need either.
So this is where consciousness comes into the money game.
Being conscious of what we do and don’t need and then having the conscious awareness to make that thinking a reality.
The other thing with conscious or un-conscious spending is the medium we use to spend that money.
So here is where I want to take the conversation today.
Cash versus Cards (aka: plastic).
If the sum of the money we have is calculated by our INCOME minus EXPENSES; lowering our expenses, leaves a whole lot more money in your possession.
So let’s explore lowering your expenses (without lowering your lifestyle).
An interesting reveal…
In the movie ‘State of Control‘ they talked about some of the reasons behind the push for a digital ID and digital currencies.
And not surprisingly, it wasn’t foremost about making our lives better or ‘easier’.
What a shock!
One of the main reasons the World ‘Economic’ Forum (WEF) suggests the need for a Digital ID and digital currencies is because so many online purchasing transactions (I think up to 70%) are not completed. In other words, someone realises (becomes conscious) that at some time through the online transaction they got marketing-bombed into purchasing something they don’t really need or want, and opt out of the transaction. Leaving Trillions of potential consumer dollars on the ether table, as far as the WEF is concerned.
However with a Digital ID (and linked digital currencies), the number of steps in an online transaction would be far less (maybe even 1), therefore it would be less likely for people (consumers) to opt-out (become conscious) before a non-essential purchase is made.
Interesting…
Cash Versus ‘Plastic’
First, full disclosure.
I am a fan of privacy. I am a fan of spending my money on what I want, when I want it. I am a fan of choices. I also don’t always agree with mainstream narratives, governments and non-government organisations (like WEF), and sometimes might strongly disagree to the point of wanting to protest for my human rights.
And finally I am for individual uniqueness and greatness.
Now back to money.
I could be more verbose on this conversation, or I could get right to the point.
Let’s just go laser focus.
Do you think you spend MORE money – on stuff you don’t really need or may soon become bored with or is not healthy for you – when you are using physical CASH, or when using PLASTIC or digital transactions?
What do you think?
I can tell you for a fact, having done this experiment for over a year now, I DEFINITELY spend money more unconsciously / recklessly / flippantly when using plastic, than when using cash.
This means HIGHER expenses, which equals less cash to spend on the things I most enjoy and which are good for me (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually).
Don’t take my word for it.
Try it yourself.
MY CHALLENGE FOR YOU
(so you have more money left in your pocket to spend wisely)
Choose a period of time.
Say 1 week to 1 month (I recommend 1 month as it gives you a better data set).
Then for 1 month use just your PLASTIC and record how much you spend (for extra points you would record all your transactions, so you know exactly what you spent your money on).
Then for 1 month use just CASH and record how much you spend (and on what).
When it comes to cash, I also recommend setting up a system where there is a little bit of inconvenience (but not too much) to accessing more money.
In my case, I might have about $1000 in cash, secured at home, and I just take out $100 at a time to put in my wallet (I live in SE Asia, so your numbers might be different).
Each time I go to get another $100 I have the opportunity to pause and get conscious about how quickly, or not, the money is moving through my fingers.
The benefit of slowing down, in all areas of life, is that it allows you to have a clearer, reality-based picture.
You get true perspective.
And with that perspective you make WISER choices.
My parting words
I am all about wisdom, conscious choices, and shaping our own destiny.
I am not a fan of being steered (marketed / coerced / sold to) into making choices that are profitable for the few and not really that useful or beneficial to me in the long-term.
Having also studied Neuro Linguistics Programming (NLP), hypnotherapy, and marketing practices for almost 20 years now, I understand how certain responses can be triggered unconsciously. And how to mitigate this (i.e. raise consciousness through meditation).
Call me ‘old school’ but I also prefer personal privacy over convenience.
Plus I like to have less expenses in my life, so I don’t have to work as many hours.
Imagine if you reduced unnecessary purchases by 20%, so could choose to work one day less per week.
COOL!!
Let’s make this year an even greater one by walking through it even more wisely and consciously.
Have a great day and a fabulous week (or months) of thoughtful spending.
Take care,
Carl
