Practical Psychology is a weekly newspaper column I have been writing for over 20 years. It is designed to address psychological topics that are most useful to its readers. Please feel free to re-print any of them in any form you wish. I ask only that you give the information about how to subscribe and credit for authorship. Thanks.

MONEY IS NOT EVIL
By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.

Money is one of the most misunderstood aspects of our lives. People who believe they don't have enough money do not understand it. People who do have enough rarely understand it. People who have more than enough of it usually do not understand it either. People who believe in its scarcity certainly don't understand it. Contrary to what I was taught when growing up, money is not evil. Having money is not a sin or morally wrong. Neither is poverty. Having money is not necessarily a virtue. Poverty isn't either.

Money is an abstract concept. What a person does to acquire it, is driven by his or her concept of what money can do. Money by itself can do nothing. Emotional beliefs about money can beneficially serve a person, or they can destroy him. Certainly, we are all aware of people who have wrecked their lives by their love of making money. However, making money is not in itself, destructive. Certainly, the method for doing so can be selfish, corrupt, unethical, criminal and destructive. However, making money can also be selfless, beneficial to others, morally correct, and powerfully constructive. Methods for making money may be of service to others, or they can be exploitative of others.

What we do with our money is far more important to our psychological health then merely having it. Money does not buy physical or emotional health. It cannot purchase security, peace of mind, happiness or even healthy relationships. You can be rich and not have these qualities. You can be poverty-stricken and have an abundance of these. However, using money wisely makes the development of such characteristics more easily accomplished.

What about winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune? Many of us dream of something like that. We even buy "chances" to have a lot of money given to us. We rarely hear of the negative side of being given a lot of money. In his book, "Grow Rich!--With Peace of Mind," Napoleon Hill writes, "Great fortunes or modest fortunes are a blessing only when they are used in good part to benefit others. No testator favors a beneficiary by making it unnecessary for him to work. You may wish to shield others from the meanness of poverty. Well and good! Beyond that, do not shield them from life with a wall of money. Let them have the priceless opportunity of building better lives with their own life-taught wisdom and their own constructive work." The side-effects of giving another too much money are always debilitating to the recipient.

There are many more aspects of life, more valuable than money. If we confine our concept of wealth merely to having a lot of money, we miss out on so much richness. True wealth lies not in having money, it is found in many other qualities of personal living. Hill goes on to list "the twelve great riches of life [in order of importance]:

1. A positive mental attitude

2. Sound physical health

3. Harmony in human relationships

4. Freedom from all forms of fear

5. The hope of future achievement 6. The capacity for faith

7. A willingness to share one's blessings

8. A labor of love as an occupation

9. An open mind on all subjects

10. Self-discipline in all circumstances

11. The capacity to understand others

12. Sufficient money"

Clearly, there are more aspects than money that enrich our lives. Nevertheless, don't neglect the value of having money altogether. Having money is important. It is just not as important as many (at least 11) other things.

So if you have been depriving yourself of money because you considered it virtuous, I invite you to reconsider. If you have been driving yourself to accumulate more and more, you are probably fearful of "not having enough." If you have been giving your money away to the point of being in poverty yourself, I invite you to reconsider. Perhaps we all need to reconsider what money is all about. How much money is "sufficient?" What money can do for us, others, and the improvement of the quality of life can be tremendous. What it can do to destroy ourselves, others and our environment can be equally powerful. Especially during these economically difficult times, what we do to acquire it, and how we use it, are both worth reconsideration.

Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. has 30+ years experience as a Life Coach and Licensed Psychologist. He is available for coaching in any area presented in "Practical Psychology." Initial coaching sessions are free. Contact him: (970) 568-0173 or E-mail: DrLloyd@CreatingLeaders.com or LJTDAT@aol.com.

Dr. Thomas also serves on the faculty of the Institute For Life Coach Training and the International University of Professional Studies. He recently co-authored (with Patrick Williams) the book: *Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills and Techniques for Enhancing Your Practice*and Your Life!* (W.W. Norton 2005) available at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com.

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