Clint Murphy  00:10

Money isn’t evil. Repeat that one for me a few times. Money isn’t evil. In fact, it’s the biggest bullsh!t lie society is ever taught you. It’s a belief that leads to a scarcity mindset and an aversion to wealth. But let’s set the record straight. Money. It’s neutral. It’s what you do with money that matters. 

Clint Murphy  00:33

As Ayn Rand famously said “money will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver”. 

Clint Murphy  00:41

So how does society teach you that money is evil? Let’s explore three primary avenues: cartoons, childhood stories and lessons from our parents. If you’re a parent, you want to pay attention to this so you don’t give your children these lessons. The villains in a lot of cartoons and children’s stories are often wealthy. I want you to just picture first of all, Montgomery, like do they have to name him something evil but he’s just sitting there with his fingers going wild, while he plots how he’s going to destroy the life of Homer. Seriously, if you’re the wealthiest person in your city. Are you really going to be concerned with what’s happening with a guy like Homer? No, not a chance. Cartoons show wealthy characters as villains. associating wealth with negative traits like greed, cruelty and selfishness. Think of Scrooge. Think about it. How many times have you seen evil mastermind in a cartoon being rich. On the flip side, the good guy or a hero in many cartoons is often portrayed as a poor noble, reinforcing the idea that wealth is something to be attained only by overcoming humble beginnings. Children’s stories play a significant role in shaping our perception of money. From Matilda to Cinderella, all the way to Harry Potter. These stories pit the wealthy against the poor painting a distorted picture of the relationship between money and morality. It’s bullshit. Do not do this to your children. 

Clint Murphy  02:19

Let’s not forget the negative language surrounding money that we’re bombarded with childhood. Money is the root of all evil. Money can’t buy happiness. So on and so forth. Bullshit. Anyone who told you that money can’t buy happiness has never lived paycheck to paycheck and has never not been able to feed their kids. Sure, money can’t buy happiness, but it can sure friggin help on the journey. 

Clint Murphy  02:49

As parents, we probably don’t mean to scar our children’s opinion of money. But we do. Our children don’t understand when we talk about money in a negative light, even if it’s off hand quotes. Whether it’s through trauma, low self esteem or financial struggles, our parents inadvertently pass down their own beliefs about money to us. Think about the times your parents said like, hey, we don’t talk about money, hey, money’s a secret. Don’t share information about this with people. They’re making the idea of money a scarcity topic. They’re making you afraid to speak about it and what happens there, when you’re afraid of money. When you’re afraid to talk about money. You don’t believe that you deserve it. You don’t believe that you deserve it. It creates a pattern of self neglect or self sabotage where you take actions that could cause your financial situation to be worse or you avoid actions that could help you because you don’t think deserve it. Your parents may have been hard on you. They may have taught you that you’re never enough. A situation I had growing up, not purposely it’s just the way that I had interactions that led me to believe that I was never enough so I always chased more and more money, but I didn’t necessarily think that I deserved what I had. Millionaire. Not enough. Multimillionaire, not enough. I need more. I need 50 million. I need 100 million. The real question is do I need it? Or do I need to know that I’m enough? I’m enough. It’s an important one for you to think about. Because this lack of self esteem will teach you that you don’t deserve money or you can’t earn it. 

Clint Murphy  04:29

If you screwed up with money already. It sticks with you. You think your past money mistakes determine your money future. It can create a sense of hopelessness and a lack of motivation to improve your financial situation. You start to think like Why? Why try? Why does it matter? Why even bother? Bother because you can change. The past doesn’t determine your future.

Clint Murphy  04:51

So how do we undo the programming and develop a healthier relationship with money. It starts with something called Shadow Work, identifying and challenging our unconscious beliefs about money. We want to identify our money shadows. For example, you might have a fear of scarcity or a belief that money is evil. Write down any thoughts or emotions that come up for you about money. Write down any thoughts or emotions that come up for you. When you think about you having a lot of money. What does that do to you? What does that stir up? When you start to think of yourself as a millionaire? Or as a multimillionaire? What are you worried about? How do you feel? Where do you feel it? Write it all down, we want to explore the roots of your money shadow, whether that may be learned from family or society or you had a traumatic experience. When you can understand the roots of where it came from. You can understand and address the shadows. We want you to work through and integrate them into your life. Your goal is to create a more conscious and empowered relationship with money based on self awareness and self acceptance. 

Clint Murphy  05:55

Practice gratitude. It’s a practical tool for improving your mindset. Focus on the things in your life that you’re grateful for, including your financial resources, it will help you cultivate a more positive relationship with money and a greater appreciation for what it can do for you. When you focus on the positive aspects of money and have a greater appreciation for what it can do, the ways in which it can help you retire comfortably. Start a business, support your family or give back to those who need, you’re going to think about money differently. Think about how you can use that tool. That’s what we want you to do. 

Clint Murphy  06:27

Remember, money is not evil. I’m gonna say that, again. Because it’s so important. Money is not evil. When you focus on the positive aspects of money, you’re going to realize how powerful it is. And when you start to realize how powerful money is. And you start to realize that you deserve to have money just as much as anybody else. Nobody deserves, deserves to have money more than you do. Now, of course, that doesn’t mean you get it for nothing. You still have to work for it. You still have to take action in your life, but you deserve to have the results of the work that you’re willing to put in to get that money. So go do the work. Go get the money because the more money you have, the more you can amplify its positive aspects in your life and in the life of the people that you care about.

Clint Murphy  07:19

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