Kay:

Hey there, Questers. Welcome back! Today is Monday, October 19th and this is Episode 206. We have a great quote for you today from Jonathan Swift. And he says, “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.”

Shi:

Well, this was a very well accomplished and credentialed SAS political pamphleteer, a cleric, and regarded as the foremost prose satirist in the English language, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. So, I guess really well accomplished, but this is great advice for us to start our week off with. “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.” I liked that it’s recognizing the fact that the resource of money is important. It’s just not the only important thing.

Kay:

Well, I think a lot of people have the misconception that money is the end and not the means to the end. Many people think that, “If I can get money into my life, then I will be happy,” but really it’s about getting money in order to do things with that money. Maybe you want to travel or you want to have more security and safety in your financial future. Whatever that is, money affords that. But money isn’t the end game. So, many of us are treating the tool like the finished product.

Shi:

That’s a great point to bring up here, and I know I’ve been guilty of this. You set a number, and you want to hit a number or a certain level. But when we unpack that a little bit, we realize what we really want is what’s on the other side of that money or what that money means for us in terms of possibility and in terms of experience, in terms of lifestyle, in terms of lavish experiences and things that we want and that we desire for. But you’re not really desiring for the green piece of paper, right? Come on, these days, it’s the number on the computer screen, and you never actually deal with money to begin with! It’s just this idea of currency through these monetized terms, but still – the hand is definitely raised. I’ve been the person who set the number and made money the end goal while not realizing that it’s really what’s on the other side of that money that I’m really after.

Kay:

Well, let’s think about all of the crazy things that people will do for money, like they will work themselves to death, they will kill other people, they will commit crimes, they will go above and beyond, they will pull crazy stunts, they will…Think about the celebrity power and the things that sometimes celebrities will do just to get attention and get more of that currency in. But, I want to ask you: If money is the tool, let’s just take a tool out of the toolbox and look at it like a hammer. Would you kill somebody for a hammer? Would you work yourself to death for a hammer? No! But, the hammer could change the game if you were trying to build a house. So, you would do whatever you could take to get the material to have that end game, but falling in love with the tool itself leads you kind of in this weird endless

Circle.

Shi:

Right! ‘Cause a wise person would bring a hammer to the job of building a house. They wouldn’t cherish the hammer with all of their life and seek after it. And that’s exactly what Mr. Swift is telling us here today – to have money in your head, know that it’s a tool, understand it, utilize it, properly take care of your finances, balance your portfolio, and be smart about your money. It is probably the most important resource in your life, (unless we’re going spiritual level), but we’re not right now, we’re talking about things that will connect you to the other things that you want in your life. Money is the primary one and the most important one. So, it should be in your head and you should have a strategy for it and discipline built around it, but you should also be careful not to let it seep down past the neck. You don’t want it to get into your heart. With that love of money kind of being that ultimate seat of evil, (if you want to take it biblically), we can cheapen our relationships, our worth, our spirit journey, and so many other things that really make life worth living!

Kay:

There are all kinds of things that we do too when we really love something that might mean that money doesn’t work for you in the way that you would want it to. Because, if you really love something, oftentimes you’ll protect it. Bur, does all money really need to be protected? Like, if you really love something, you would do anything for it. But do you really need to do anything for money, would do anything for money? Probably not. And so, you might find in this reflection that your heart and your head might need a little bit of realignment when it comes to money, because- just like Shila – I am also guilty of putting that number up. And I’m also guilty of hitting that number and still not being happy, because the money was just the tool and going to Home Depot and buying the hammer certainly doesn’t build you a house.

Shi:

All right. Let’s remind you of your Monday quote for today! It comes from Jonathan Swift who says, “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.”

Kay:

All right, gang. So, today’s quest is a question! Answer this question truthfully to yourself right now. Why do you want money? Remember, your why is the most valuable part of the equation, both emotionally and physically. Money is the means to the end, not the end itself. So, what does your happy ending look like? Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!