#spirituality #selfdevelopment #personalitytransformation
Big and Small Money
When it comes to money, it's important to understand that when we compare small or big money, we are comparing amounts that seem small or big to us. For example, a person might say they’ve never had a lot of money in their life, while someone else might say they’ve been around people with big money. Now, if someone living in a poor African country says: "I’m poor because I make $5 a month, and you’re rich because you make $500 a month," these two people would have very different feelings. The second person, earning $500, might actually think they’re poor. And their feelings about money might be much worse than the person who makes $5.
Dividing money into big and small amounts is very subjective. There’s no real limit to what counts as "big money," but maybe there’s a limit to "small money" in the sense that there’s always a concept of zero.
The Strange Paradox of Money Choices
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Okay, let’s look at another example. What if I started with $1 billion, and now I have $980 million left? I’ll spend $80 million and leave $900 million, and I’ll be right back in the same situation I was before. What’s worse: $180 million, $100,000, $80,000, $100 billion, or $800 billion, $80 billion? My dad, for example, took a $100 billion loan and left me $80 billion. What’s worse? Our brain starts calculating: how much money can I spend now, where will I have enough, how do I live? But I was born into these events. This means I can start making decisions differently.
That’s why some people earn money and don’t buy themselves anything, they don’t spend money at all. They live in the same house their whole life, and people often use them as examples: “Look, this person is a billionaire, and they live in the same house.” There are people who earn money, not necessarily in the first generation (generation doesn’t matter here), and live by the “live it up!” principle: boats, ships, yachts, the most expensive jewelry—whatever. And they spend their money.
The most important point to keep in mind is that there is no such thing as "a lot" or "a little" when it comes to specific amounts. Poverty and wealth are our internal assessments of certain parameters.
Someone might live in a village, earn nothing at all, grow their own food, and never even think they’re poor, even though they have nothing. They just eat, sustain themselves, and maybe sell some of their produce to buy things they don’t grow or don’t have. They maintain that standard by producing trade.
Someone else might live in a state of abundance, but their inner state tells them that everything is really hard. Take a look at the United States and people who have moved there from other countries. I’m Belarusian, I lived in Moscow for 13 years, and now I live in the United States, in Silicon Valley. I watch how many people talk about the States. Some say: “The U.S. is awesome.” And they don’t even talk about money (how expensive, tough, high taxes, etc.). Some constantly say: “The U.S. is awesome, but it’s so expensive.” Expensive compared to what? They’re comparing it to some life circumstance. Are they comparing it to the life they had in a big city they moved from? Or are they comparing it to the life in the city they were born in? Are they comparing it to a specific time period from the perspective of feeling that things are “expensive”?
Expensive when? I remember a time—I was born in 1983—when, in 1991-1992, my parents would throw birthday parties for $100. About 10 or 15 people would gather, and you could lay out a whole feast for $100. I don’t know where you could do that now for the same amount. In Belarus, for sure, you can’t set a table for $100—well, maybe you could with potatoes. Maybe you could do something for 15 people for $100. Sure, you could, I could do it. I’m exaggerating a little, but we’re not talking about a full feast here. Now, you have to spend way more. And this judgment and manifestation of a person’s internal state relates exclusively to that specific person, how they evaluate things.
Sometimes I get calls from people saying: “Sasha, why are you living in California? It’s so expensive to live there. I live in Florida, where taxes are lower.” And I think: “What’s this person comparing?” Maybe I live in California because I make 50 times more than they do, so who cares what my taxes are? Or maybe I don’t earn anything at all, but I don’t pay taxes because I use benefits. It’s a place where everyone pays taxes. Actually, I’m exaggerating: I always support the space I live in because I pay for my house, or property tax, or rent, and then the person I rent from pays property taxes. I buy goods in a country where there’s a tax. So there are taxes either way.
Perception of Pensions in Post-Soviet Countries: Is It Worth Worrying?
I could also say: “I’ve paid a ton of taxes in the countries where I used to live and now no longer do. I think I’ll get social benefits in the future, like a pension.” This is a very interesting concern about pensions, something that was heavily broadcasted.
Here I am, sitting in America, thinking: “How great that I never worried about a pension in the countries I used to live in.” Maybe I should start worrying about a pension here in America. But again, I don’t know if I’ll even live here when I retire, or if I’ll even have a pension because I might just die earlier. Or maybe I won’t need a pension because I’ll have enough money to support myself. Or maybe I’ll have great friends who will help me during my retirement. Or I have a sister who will help me out during retirement. Or my four kids will easily take care of me during retirement. Or I’ll keep working and continue earning money during my retirement. Or I’ll have businesses that will bring in money during retirement. Or I’ll have the right investments that will bring me money during retirement. Or we’ll live in a society and a government that will fully cover everything, and at that time, you won’t need anything, and your pension will be enough. So what’s really going on?
Then there are people who say that we’re now in the era of artificial intelligence, and it will lead to the government constantly paying money to citizens, and no one will need to work anymore. But I wonder, do these people even save for retirement? You have to ask them this question. It shows how much they really believe in that. If they believe in it, why are they saving for retirement? Then they don’t need to save for retirement; everything will be great.
What to do? The Essence of Money
Money has completely different layers of perception, and the first thing you need to do is look at it from a broad perspective on things and understand a little bit about the very essence of having or not having money. Where does it exist: as cash or as a balance in a checking account?
Right now, Bitcoin has surged a lot in the last six months. A guy at my place says, “I’ve made so much money.” And I ask him if he’s sold it. He tells me, “No, it’s just sitting in my account. Look, I have the app, I’ve got x2 or x3 there.” I tell him he hasn’t made anything at all, it’s just sitting there. And then he opens the app, reads out some number, looks at it, and says, “Oh, it dropped 20 or 25 percent yesterday.” See, you made money, and then you lost it, and you made it again, and then you lost it again. And that’s how it goes every day: you’re making money, and losing money. And in his life, nothing’s changed. He then tells me, “Sasha, listen, I bought Bitcoin just to sit on it for years, as a diversification.” In that case, there’s no such thing as made or didn’t make money at all.
About Non-Convertible Investments
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This shows that money is a very relative term, a parameter, a judgment. And each person will experience their own different states.
The Cause-and-Effect of Your Earnings
One of the most important things to understand about money is that it comes from two cause-and-effect relationships.
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Does Happiness Depend on Money?
Happiness in our life is 24/7, it’s constant, it’s today. What will you choose? That moment of joy on the Maldives for three days in three years or this year? Or 360 days of happiness at home, waking up and looking at your wife, your husband, yourself, having breakfast, brushing your teeth, walking outside, in any weather.
What exactly will you choose? It’s very important here not to put yourself in a state of illusion, of fog, to remember the happiness of life happening right now. Even if there’s darkness happening in life now – seek happiness here and now.
Happiness doesn’t come from some abstract things but from observing yourself and from truly understanding those cause-and-effect relationships that I’m talking about.
Otherwise, we’re building an illusion about our happiness ahead, which we associate with money.
Solid (!) Life Here and Now: Wake Up Already :)
I’m not against making money, I’m all for it – for a solid life here and now. It’s not just about making money, not just work and labor.
A solid life here and now is going to plant a bush, cooking yourself lunch, reading your child a book in the evening, looking at how I behave toward other people, doing good things for others, accepting the actions happening in my professional development, and working hard. That’s a solid life here and now – right at this moment.
No one’s stopping you from making a lot of money, dreaming, setting different goals, achieving them, resting, buying expensive things, opening and selling businesses. But don’t link it with your inner state of freedom and joy, happiness, good living of each day, studying and observing this life.
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An Even Stranger Paradox About Money
Money is a very complicated, tough mechanism. It’s even hard to talk about it, hard to observe, study, watch, earn. And easy to observe, study, spend. And hard to spend. Paid off a loan – and you’re happy (very strange, after all, the money disappeared). Made money – also happy. It turns out it’s correct: take a loan, then earn and pay it off – twice happy versus one unhappiness when you took the loan. Took a loan – a lot of money came in, happy. Earned separately a lot of money – happy. Spent the loan – happy again. Then gave away that money – also happy. Took a loan – unhappy, spent the money – unhappy because you spent loan money, and there’s no money left. Made money – unhappy because you’re going to part with it soon and you’re scared. Paid off the loan – unhappy.
In my opinion, there’s no pattern at all – whether you spend or make it. It’s our internal state.
And salvation is in our hearts, in the love for other people – that's where the answer lies in this case. Of course, you need to work, to observe, to be a systematic person, to scale up, to grow, to build business right, to build a proper career. But do it through love, through your heart – with an understanding of joy, goodness, a sense of beauty. And that's very important.