Being a Spiritual Person in a Materialist World
I’ve always been a spiritual person, but long struggled with balancing this with financial level-headedness.
I’ve always been driven by passions, pleasure, spirituality, aesthetics, art, and a search for meaning and connection. I nonchalantly pushed to the side financial ambitions, investing concerns, and professional dreams for the sake of pursuing an artistic, unconventional life. I didn’t need to be mired down in thoughts of working about material things, I told myself when I was able to cover for my needs on a day-to-day basis.
Yet, as I’ve aged and as I’ve grown in my spiritual practice, I’ve become more conscious of the tremendous impact of money. Of course, the irony is that I lived more freely when I had less money. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been so reckless in my behaviors or my mindset; I shouldn’t have seen the goal of growing my net worth as too herculean and therefore been avoidant of such a task.
While my youthful, easy-come-easy-go approach granted me the freedom to enjoy life in the day-to-day moments, I’ve only later learned the importance of discipline and investing. While I’d lie if I said I have no regrets, I do agree that I can only learn from my past indiscretions and look to the future with my wizened perspective. I’ve come to learn, especially in this current world of economic and social instability and volatility, the importance of discipline, investing, and perseverance.
To live a life not having to be preoccupied with money is, indeed, to live a more spiritually focused life. Yet, in denying the importance of money, you do not set yourself up for success. Money itself does not give meaning or happiness, but it provides stability and is a tool that can offer opportunity and security. So I’ve learned the importance of attending to my financial health and security, to better let my spiritual self flourish.
As they say, money is energy. You want to let the energy (or money) flow, but you also want to be conscious of how you direct your energy/money.
As I’m rising in my consciousness and my spirituality, I’ve become more intentional with not only my finances, but my personal and romantic relationships, my career and my ambitions, and my mindset and relationship with myself. Having a solid economic foundation helps me to live a life with more intention and centeredness.
How has your relationship with money changed as you’ve grown into a spiritual practice?
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