Betting for Value
There’s a saying from pick-up artists: Don’t put girls on a pedestal.
They didn’t say “girls,” but you get the point.
When we put money on a pedestal, we communicate to the universe that we are unworthy of it, and the universe mirrors those beliefs back to us.
To attract money, love, friendship, and everything else, put yourself on a pedestal. You are worth more than the whole entire world. The universe cannot make another one of you. Instead of looking at how much things cost and feeling bad for not being able to afford things, look for things with high value because you get to define value; you have no control over the cost of things. Looking at the world through the lens of value puts you in the driver’s seat of your life. I hear people say all the time that California’s too expensive. Although technically not wrong, it would be just as accurate and more empowering to say, “There’s not enough value for me,” as if you’re picking the best stock to invest in.
Everyone has their own set of values. Money is just a way to express those values. Abundance is the ability to do what you need when you need it, and it can come in many forms.
When I first moved to California, I had a friend who had an empty apartment that I was able to rent at a discounted rate. When I quit my job at Facebook, I only had six months’ worth of savings, but somehow, six months turned into four years. At one point, a tender offer from the first startup I ever worked at blessed me with a hefty lump sum of cash. During other times, various investments paid off. But what really kept me alive was faith. In John 20:29, it states, “Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.” I knew I was doing the right thing because I was living by my values, and my inner compass was all the direction I needed.
One of the key points in the book “The Psychology of Money” is the failure of spreadsheet math to capture emotional value. If you know your values, you can start maximizing them right now. You don’t have to wait for the money to show up. If you value generosity, give what you can. If you value freedom, take responsibility for your choices. If you value joy, welcome life with open arms.
Osho writes, “Life is a rhythm of opposites.” When we shift the story on scarcity, we find that abundance was there the whole time. You are the scriptwriter of your movie, so have fun with it. If you don’t like your current character, pick a new one. Instead of looking at your 9 to 5 job as a prison sentence, pretend you’re in a Pixar movie about an ordinary office worker who finds magic in the mundane because why else would our souls choose to come here if not for the plot?
