The Soul of Money – It’ll Change The Way You Think About Money

The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Life by Lynne Twist

Lynne Twist’s book The The Soul of Money will blow you away.  I borrowed it from the library this past weekend and couldn’t put it down.  Lynne really makes you think about your life and your perception toward money.  She is a fundraiser who has traveled around the world rubbing shoulders with the very rich and the very poor.  In her book, she challenges her readers to consider how they perceive money and to overcome feelings of scarcity and inadequacy and instead embrace a sense of sufficiency.

Lynne’s main theme is that when she saw people “aligning their money with their deepest, most soulful interests and commitments, their relationship with money became a place where profound and lasting transformation could occur.”  In other words, people had a healthier perception of money and were the most fulfilled when they used their money to support the things they believed in.

The author also mentioned that the way people behave towards money – what they do to acquire it, how they spend it, etc. speaks volumes about them as a person.    What you do with your money says a lot about who you are and what you care about.  Just take a look at your bank account statements.  What you spend your money on is what is most important to you.

Lynne encourages her readers to consider what they already have and work with it rather than always wanting more.  According to Lynne, “when we do more with what we already have, it expands.”  There’s no need to always be searching for the next thing, instead, be content with and appreciate what is already in front of you. As Lynne mentioned, “When we let go of trying to get more of what we don’t really need, we free up an enormous amount of energy that has been tied up in the chase.  We can refocus and reallocate that energy and attention toward appreciating what we already have, what’s already there, and making a difference with that.”  The book is full of examples of people who did just that.

The book also outlines the three major challenges that the West needs to overcome if they are ever going to have a healthy idea of money.  Lynne refers to them as scarcity myths.

1.  There’s Not Enough – Somehow the West has the widespread idea that there just isn’t enough to go around.  There’s not enough food, not enough water, etc.  The fact is that there is enough for everyone but because of corruption some have more than enough and others are lacking.

2.  More Is Better- This idea “drives a competitive culture of accumulation, acquisition and greed that heightens fears and quickens the pace of the race; it’s a chase with no end and a race without winners.”

3.  That’s Just The Way It Is – it’s a hopeless, helpless, unequal, unfair world and there’s nothing we can do to change it; It’s an excuse for us to do nothing; It justifies our inaction.

Lynne’s book really opens her readers’ eyes to see that “our relationship with money is based in an unexamined, unquestioned set of assumptions that are myths and lies that spur us to act in ways that rob us of the satisfaction and fulfillment we are looking for in life.”   In the West, we adhere to the scarcity myths rather than being willing to consider anything else.

Lynne’s admonition to her readers is not to measure ourselves by our net worth, but by our self worth.  Success shouldn’t be measured by dollars and cents but instead by what you have contributed. “You want to be known for what you allocate and not for what you accumulate.”  Furthermore, “the experience of true wealth comes from sharing, expressing that you have and are enough.”

It’s likely obvious by now that I really enjoyed reading this book. I would encourage you to check it out as it’s well worth your time.  I can guarantee you will be challenged and perhaps you may start viewing money in a whole different way.