The Last Taboo?
One of my business partners occasionally says, "In my experience, people are more likely to tell you how often they had sex last week, than to share how much money they have in the bank or how much debt they've accrued." Is Money the Last Taboo?
Death, Sex, and Money: topics once banned from polite conversation. Culturally speaking, death and sex seem to have become less restricted. We've read "Death Be Not Proud," watched "Six Feet Under," and embraced the compassion of Hospice care. It's no longer a secret or forbidden ground. It's an experience to discuss and share with people you care about.
Sex differs a bit. It's everywhere! Plastered on every billboard, across the silver screen, in our reading materials, and on our laptops, it's true, sex sells. And yet, I perceive, we're not as apt to allow our vulnerability and openness, as we have come to do with death. Still, I agree with my partner, we're a little further along the path of eliminating sex as a taboo than we are with money.
A recent exercise through Prita Manganiello's, Art of Relating series, revealed my personal history with money. In my life, money has always been an issue. In turn, it became a concrete truth: "Money is always an issue." Whether the manifestation is positive or negative (I grew up more familiar with the negative), I have held it as a fundamental belief. Realizing this, I wondered; what if I'm wrong? What if my belief, based on a series of experiences, is not a prediction of the future. I could then allow my relationship with money to shift, just as I shift and improve my relationships with people.
Maria Nemeth, author of "The Energy of Money," delves into this concept beautifully, inviting us to explore our beliefs about money and the relationship that results. Through her straight forward approach, she shines a light on this taboo, offering tools, learned from her personal experience, to enhance your relationship with money.
In a video interview, Nemeth explains, "How we do money is how we do life." What a powerful concept! How I relate to money is a reflection of all aspects of my life. If I believe that money is always an issue, would it be any wonder that I expect and create "issues" in other areas as well?
With effort, curiosity, and compassion, I am lifting the veil of my own taboo. I invite you to join me. In fact, Walter Bacigalupo and I will be offering a related workshop in 2010 - a safe place to explore your beliefs and possibly shift your perception and relationship with money. Stay tuned.
With shared abundance,
Joanne Lutz