Money is a Tool Not a Goal

# Money is a Tool Not a Goal

Money is a unit of measurement, and, being human, we measure our success through how much money we are able to generate, attract and maintain. This measurement is a social standard, reinforced through community judgment that we then internalize. The danger is that we learn to assign our value based on the money, status symbols and material accumulation, confusing those things as a measurement of human capability and capacity rather than valuing skill, expertise, opportunity and intelligence.

"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game." ~ Donald Trump

So what do you need to know about this in order to do something different and build your business? Only this… money is a tool, just like a hammer or any other garden-variety tool. The only meaning it has is what you give it; that is, just like any other tool, it's useless unless you know what to make of it and how to use it. You must detach yourself from anything that you have made money mean in your life so you can learn how to use it effectively.

"Successful people make money. It's not that people who make money become successful, but that successful people attract money. They bring success to what they do." ~ Wayne Dyer

People often embrace money as though it were life force itself; rather, it's a symbol that measures the exchange of energy between people. Money is very literal – it's a tool – so it doesn't judge where it should go and who should have it. The money paradigms, or systems of beliefs that you developed over time about how you predictably understand and relate with money, including your expectations, habits and behaviors, actually determine your experience with money.

In my personal experience, focusing on money has always led to bad decisions and bad people. Sure, it is a necessity for life and family but it cannot, and should not be your primary motivation for starting, managing, leading and operating a business.

Play the game, find other players of which you like and trust, the formula will solve itself.