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Money (again and again)

Colin Campbell
by Colin Campbell on 21/08/17 18:00

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This is the first of two blogs that link to Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. This book was written in 2015 and then followed up by his second book that I will probably talk about later. It is an extraordinary bit of work creating discussion, and argument, and consultation and consideration on so many levels and so many subjects; not least the subject of money.

So as a convert to Harari’s thinking on the matter it is worth pointing out at this stage that, from my point of view, money is an imagined concept that we have created and one that we do not need to worship or hold in such high regard as we do. I have thought this for quite a long time in one way or another but it was just crystalised and defined so well in Harari’s book that it made me want to write about it.

So first of all, it is worth stating that the saying ‘its easy for you’ applies. I realise that is entirely the case for me. I don’t have to fight for my supper and I don’t really have to worry that when I got to the hole in the wall to get cash out that there wont be any there, but it hasn’t always been that way for me.

With the guidance of several people, but mostly from my wife, I found a pathway through the constant obsession to consume and to make sure I didn’t have anything left in my bank account at the end of the month, if I did I bizarrely saw that as a failure. Money was a thing to be spent, because I deserved it.

In one way or another my blogging hero Seth Godin writes about this from time to time and is generally more clear about it than me but really the basis is this:

Anything that you buy and any money that you spend you can count in any units that you like.

Most people count it in pounds and pence (or equivalent currency).

I count it in time.

This year for the big bike ride I did in the Alps I could have had a brand new bike. There are many on the market that would catch my eye, the process of choosing one would be a delight and I would easily be able to spend between £7,000 - £10,000.

But I already have a bike. The £7,000 - £10,000 isn’t ‘spare money’ it’s a huge amount of time that I would have to work. In fact it goes a long way to funding a sabbatical that will happen again this year from the 19th December to the 5th February. Not everybody works in an organisation (or indeed owns an organisation) that allows you to take 6 weeks off over Christmas by saving up your money throughout the year but everybody can aspire to do that. You can always covet a bigger house with ‘more room’ or buy a fancier car. You could go on another holiday or buy this seasons wardrobe. You could even buy the latest electrical gadget to add to the multiple electrical gadgets you already have that you haven’t read the instructions for, but until you start counting your money in something other than pounds and pence you will not see the benefit of not hoarding these things.

Chris Barrow once taught me the difference between being ‘financially independent’ and ‘independent of finance’. The first is to earn so much money that it doesn’t matter to you anymore, the second is to break the shackles to being a slave to the concept of ever increasing numbers. Only the very few and the very luckiest reach the first situation but the second situation for almost everybody who lives in the UK and certainly everybody who has a steady job and a steady income is a choice. The funny thing is, it seems to me the further down this road that I travel the easier it is to get enough (just a lesson I now need to teach my children so they can teach their children).

 

Blog post number: 1378

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Colin Campbell
Written by Colin Campbell
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