| I got a message from a young woman last week. Her name is Miranda. Here’s what she wrote to me: “You know what I also realized just now? I’m deconstructing from the cheap life and allowing myself to want nice things. Like clothes, a car, beauty products, etc. Not just nice things but also things that cost a lot. As a young girl, I got used to always going only for what was cheap and necessary. And now I buy what I like even if it costs me. This too is a long road to deconstruct. Indeed, the self-denial aftermath of deconstruction is not easy!” We chatted back and forth because I told her I knew exactly what she was talking about. So much so that I wrote a book on it, Money is Spiritual, to not only exorcise my own demons around money, nice things, and success, but also to help others through it. For me, it comes down to materiality. I grew up in a religious culture that despised the flesh and dismissed the material world. One preacher taught me that sex started after the Fall, proving that sex is sinful and only necessary for reproduction. Another preacher taught me that being a good steward of the earth was a waste of time because Jesus was coming back anyway. Yet other preachers taught me that money was filthy, a tool of the devil, and the only way to redeem it was to give it to the church. And on and on. Extreme maybe. But this is what I was nurtured on. Lack and scarcity and poverty mentalities galore! But my kind of spiritual bent was towards suffering anyway. There were two choices: the prosperity gospel, which I despised and thought wasn’t really the gospel, and the poverty gospel, which is more like Jesus who didn’t even have a pillow to rest his head on and died with nothing. I chose the latter. So that to this day I still struggle with money, business, success, marketing, and talking publicly about my work and promoting it. It still feels icky and weird to me. I’ve come a long way, but I still have a ways to go. That’s why Miranda’s message was so timely! I needed to hear that just now. Because I feel like I’m at another juncture where I can either turn back (self-sabotage), stay where I am (stall), or move forward (step past my mind’s limitations). It’s been a journey! I enjoyed it. But I realize I have more growth, self-discovery, and adventure ahead of me. And I look forward to it. Where are you on this issue? I’d love to hear. | 