In the first part of this series, "Make More Money," I talked about the many ideas that keep people from making as much money as they could from their work. There were beliefs like "my work is worthless" and "my talents are a gift from God, so I should give away my work for free." In Part 2, we learn that there are two other big problems when it comes to making money. Most of these are harmful beliefs, or patterns of cultural brainwashing, that make people:
- Wait for someone else to earn money for them.
- Have a hard time keeping the money
"I can't hold on to money" is often caused by two unhealthy beliefs:
The Holiness Program says that I have to sacrifice, suffer, and be miserable to be holy and do my soul's mission. People often say that you have to be poor, fail, be celibate, do asceticism, be a martyr, be persecuted, die, be alone, be without love, be depressed, frustrated, tired, sick, or in pain to be holy. In a strange way, poverty and failure are more likely to make it hard for a person to work, be useful, and make a difference in the world than the other way around.
The Scarcity Program says that there aren't enough resources for everyone. If you have money, someone else doesn't, so you can't get something without taking something away from someone else. This makes people feel bad, which makes them give away what they have or turn down chances to do well.
"Someone else will make money for me" is often caused by two unhealthy beliefs:
The Dependency programme says that you can't live on your own because the world is dangerous and cruel, so you have to rely on someone else to take care of you. This pattern makes people, especially women, look like they have their own money, but in reality, they are just getting by and not really successful.
The Gender programme says that men are better than women and that women need men to live. To do this, a woman can't be too smart, successful, or powerful and still be attractive to men.
Stories of Success
Samantha's family left her some money. She suddenly felt like she didn't need to work, so she quit her job as a teacher. Her life started to seem pointless, and she felt bad that she had money she didn't work for and didn't feel she deserved. "Having money ruined my life," she told him. She decided to use the money to help her soul after she finished her Holiness and Scarcity programmes. She fixed up her house, got more spiritual training, and fell in love with a caring man who "would do anything for her." She also went back to teaching because she realised it was an important way for her to make a soul contribution and that she hadn't just been doing it for the money. Her life seems full and worthwhile.
Before she moved in with James, a nice Jewish doctor, Marian ran a successful therapy business. Suddenly, she had a lot less work to do. James told her not to worry; he would help her for a while. Her drive to promote herself went away. After a year, Marian's self-esteem started to drop, and James got angry and resentful because her case load didn't go up. After finishing her programmes on dependency and gender, Marian started her own practise. She is very happy with what she does. James is happy and feels safer about the relationship.
