In my recently published book, “Women’s Worth: Finding Your Financial Confidence,” I talk about money as grease. Nothing more, nothing less: it’s just grease. It does nothing on its own, but it’s essential to making things work.
Consider another metaphor for money: namely, money as matter. As a popular title for blogs and columns, “Money Matters” refers both to the financial subject of the commentary as well as to the fact that money can make a difference in our lives.
In musing about money metaphors, however, let’s first be literal about the meaning of “matter.” Understood in its scientific, physical sense, matter refers to substance that has density and occupies space. This type of matter can exist in three states – solid, liquid, or gas – depending on its temperature.
Now think about the state of money in your life: is it solid, dense, immoveable? Or is it vaporous – constantly escaping or even disappearing into thin air? Or something in between: a fluid that has no shape of its own, but takes the form of whatever (or whomever) holds it?
Let’s start with the heavy, solid side of your money. Do you feel locked in when it comes to your finances? Perhaps you have assets that are not easily sold, such as real estate, or tangible property such as artwork, jewelry, or vehicles. Or do you have assets or income that are encumbered? You can’t move or do much with these assets, because they are not entirely yours – instead they belong, in part, to your creditors or bill collectors. In this state, money is indeed tight.
At the other extreme is the money in your life that behaves like gas: it keeps escaping and seems to take no discernible shape whatsoever. No sooner in your hand or bank account, then it evaporates. This money moves quickly, feels hot, even catches fire. Are you the type who, when you get money, it immediately burns a hole in your pocket?
What about your money as a liquid? We often talk about the liquidity of our assets, meaning that we can quickly access these resources and realize their value for other productive purposes. But beyond availability, money as liquid can be shaped or channeled to whatever purpose you choose. It can, for instance, be used to pay down debt thereby unlocking the frozen energy of your solid assets. It can stabilize an otherwise volatile financial situation where your money seems to always disappear into the ozone.
Ideally the money in your life should flow but also be purposefully contained. Like water, you don’t see it, but see through it, to the things you want for your life.
As your first step to financial empowerment, take a few minutes. Don’t think about dollars or account titles or investments, but think metaphorically about your money. What state is it in?
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