Listen to this episode
On this episode
It’s easy to to find ourselves thinking that money holds the key to our happiness, security, and freedom. We can project our desires and aversions onto money, believing that once we have “enough”, we can finally get the life we want. But thinking like this often keeps us from truly living our lives; instead we’re stuck constantly chasing the next thing.
Money is a story we create, not something with inherent power. It’s a piece of paper; a digit in a computer we assign value to. But by disentangling our sense of self from our relationship with money, we can reclaim our personal agency and free up a lot of creative energy.
Even while recognising that everyone’s financial situations are different, dysfunctional money stories lead to a constant need to chase, where we’re forever stuck in a loop of wanting more but never feeling satisfied. But by untangling our sense of self-worth from our financial status, we can start to experience a life that flows more naturally, with and without the constraint of money.
Show links
More episodes of You Are Not a Frog:
- How to Stop Your Finances Controlling Your Career – Episode 142, with Dr Tommy Perkins
- Defining Your Own Success in Life – Episode 107, with Dr Claire Kaye
Download the episode’s podsheet. You can use it for reflection and to submit for your appraisal as part of your CPD.
About the guests
Agnes is a trainer and therapist, working people who feel burnt out and stuck. She’s particularly interested in the relationship people have with money and how it affects their sense of self, their relationships with others, and their impact on the world. Agnes helps people untangle their sense of self from their relationship with money and break down unhelpful money narratives.
Follow Agnes Otzelberger
Reasons to listen
- To learn how our narratives about money can influence our actions and happiness, and how changing these narratives can free up creative energy.
- To understand how to disentangle our sense of self from our relationship with money, leading to a life that flows more naturally.
- To discover how acknowledging that money has no inherent power can shift our perspectives and affect our personal and professional development.
Episode highlights
Our response to money
Money stories on a global level
Our individual money stories
The “lack-of-funding” problem within the NHS
The “time is money” story
Excavating your own money stories
Projections of money meaning
Selfishness and self-image
Healing unhelpful money stories
Tackling our projections head-on
Dealing with money conflicts
Money as an expression of appreciation
Every big change begins with a big lie
Agnes’ top tips
Episode transcript
[00:00:00] Rachel: What’s the last time you said to yourself, things would be so much easier if I just had a bit of money? Or you put off a big decision until you’ve decided you have enough money? It’s a trap we all fall into from time to time. That’s not to say that money doesn’t matter or that people who don’t earn enough just to have a bad relationship with it, but if we use money, As the way of valuing ourselves or the work we do, or the time we spend, we risk losing sight of our own…
