Relationship With Money

I recently read an article called “Perfection Anxiety” from an old copy of Vanity Fair magazine. In it 25 year old Petra Ecclestone, the daughter of Formula One mogul Bernie, and her recently married husband, bought an $85,000,000 mansion in Los Angeles. Wow, and I thought Vancouver real estate was expensive. 😛 Before moving in to their new home they also spent $19,000,000 on their wedding. 😯 To put that into context the average wedding in the United States only costs about $25,000. But of course most weddings don’t serve bottles of $6,000 Chateau Petrus, nor does the bride wear a $130,000 Vera Wang dress.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for the couple they later bought a 17th century self-portrait by Van Dyck for $20,000,000. 😕

The article goes on to explain how the unfathomable rich tend to play the demanding game of constantly pursuing the best in the world. When money isn’t an issue there’s no excuse for not having the very best, lol. “The super-rich watch each other like envious owls, to see who’s got a slightly better loafer, a pullover made from some even more absurdly endangered fur.” In this world of absolute wealth things are either the most impeccable, the finest, or the rarest. Otherwise it might as well be from Walmart. These wealthy spenders like Petra and her husband are constantly on the lookout for new luxuries. But after they’ve bought, consumed, collected, and holidayed themselves into boredom, they will realize that no matter how much money they have they will never be satisfied. The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills are more examples of wealthy millennials who are often stressed out and discontent with their lives despite their riches.

Relationship With Money

I think this is a good reminder to the rest of us commoners that money doesn’t always buy happiness. Sometimes we like to daydream about being rich. “My life would be so much better if I were a millionaire,” we’d think to ourselves. But many of us don’t know how to manage a large amount of money even if we had it today. The best way to actually become a millionaire is to learn how money works, how it circulates in the world, and how to hang on to it when it comes into our possession. 🙂 By doing these things, money will automatically come to us. Fellow blogger Tawcan recently explained that what we focus on will naturally want to grow. So we must become the change we want to see in the world.

Here’s another common excuse: “If only I had a husband/wife, my life would be so much better.” Sorry, but if we’re not happy with our lives the way they are now then that’s probably not going to change when we’re married. We must first want to become a better person, be willing to change, and be willing to work for it. If we put in the effort and do some soul searching then love, happiness, and success will automatically flow into our lives. 🙂 Both relationship and financial successes begin from within. We have to associate ourselves with what we want to become. That’s why many households who make an average income are living happier and much more fulfilling lives than Petra and her husband. It’s not about having more money, it’s about solidifying a healthy relationship towards money. It’s about knowing what our deepest values are and using effective financial planning as part of a greater life plan. 😀

Maybe we should all take a bit of time to rethink our relationship with money. Are we being driven to buy things for ourselves or for the acceptance from other people? What kind of existence do we want to live? What void are we trying to fill with money? There are some problems money can’t solve, and they’re usually the ones that matter the most. 😉 Having wealth should not add stress, anxiety, or complications to our lives. If it does then we have to change the way we think about money before it’s too late and we become a victim to perfection anxiety. 😐

———————————————————–
Random Useless Fact:
This is how Canadians typically dress in the winter.

From the top that’s (-40°F) (-22°F) (-4°F) and (14°F)