Why Is It So Hard To Talk About Money?
Have you ever asked another person how much money they make? Possibly not.
Many people consider money to be a private matter and may feel uncomfortable discussing their financial situation with others.
I guess it makes some sense. We can’t talk about it because so many people have it and don’t want to admit it, since it might diminish their achievements or their position. And so many people who don’t have money are made to feel ashamed. As if it’s an inherent failing. Like you’re not working hard enough.
Money Is Not A Dirty Word
If we do speak about how much money we have or how much we make, we are likely to be criticised for having too big an ego.
I recently stumbled upon an old 70’s song on YouTube that my parents used to play. It was a hit in Australia. The band was called Skyhooks and the song was called “Ego Is Not A Dirty Word”. This got me thinking about how for many people it’s money that is the dirty word. We seem unable to speak about it.
So I decided that I would have a bit of fun with the songs lyrics by simply substituting the word ‘Ego” with the ‘M’ word. Here is how it played out. (I removed the bits that made absolutely no sense.)
Adapted from “Ego (Is Not A Dirty Word)
Song by Skyhooks (1975)
If I did not have money I would not be here tonight
If I did not have some money I might not think that I was right
If you did not have money you might not care the way you dressed
If you did not have money you’d just be like the rest
CHORUS
Money is not a dirty word
Money is not a dirty word
Money is not a dirty word
Don’t you believe what you’ve seen or you’ve heard
Money is not a dirty word
If Jesus had some money he’d still be alive today
And if Nixon had some money he might not be in decay
If you did not have money you might not care too much who won
If I did not have my money I might just use a gun
CHORUS (same as above)
So if you have money
You better keep it in good shape
Exercise it daily
And get it down on tape
CHORUS
Don’t you believe what you’ve seen or heard
Money is not a dirty word.
Ok, so it might not be a rock classic like the original. But the point is that we really should be able to talk about money.
Why We Should Talk About Money
We should talk about money with our husbands and wives, our kids and even our friends, without it being uncomfortable.
It shouldn’t be a ‘dirty word’.
After all, it does play a pretty important role in every single person’s life. We can’t get through a day without it being relevant. We think about it constantly. Probably too much in fact. But we don’t learn about it at school. It’s like some banned novel that someone decided should not be read by impressionable youth.
But Don’t Keep Score
It shouldn’t be used as a scorecard though. Money comes and goes. Sometimes we have control over its comings and goings and sometimes it just goes without us really being able to do much about it. It can even make a surprise appearance if we’re lucky.
It is a part of life like a healthy (or unhealthy) diet or an exercise routine. It’s a tool that can get us some of the things and some of the freedoms that we seek. Some manage it better than others, we can all get better at using it and it will never represent the same thing for everyone.
Some crave it more than others. Some are content with less of it. It gets you something different at each stage of your life and even in different locations around the world. It can diminish but it can also grow.
Of course, we prefer it to grow. But like a muscle or like our brains, it requires some work, some discipline and some time.
We know it’s there. We know it’s important. Let’s not be afraid to talk about it.
