More Money = More Happiness

"If I just had more money, life would be happier, better, ok." Does that belief ring a note of truth for you? But is it true? Research shows that once our basic needs are met, more money doesn't actually improve happiness.

When I was a little girl I asked my Dad something about their finances. He yelled, "It's none of your blankety blank business." What did that teach me about money?  It's scary. Better to not think about it.

That experience went into my money memory bank and was forgotten. But not really. The memory bubbled under the surface and affected my $$ decisions. As an young adult I didn't think about money. And, I didn't handle money well. Another time I'll tell you about how I handled my bank account. This is an example of a money memory that becomes a personal money script.

Money Scripts are also cultural. See how many of these blanks you can fill in:

Money is the root of all ______.

Money doesn't grow on ______.

Money can't buy ______.

The rich get richer and the ______.

I bet you like most people can answer every one of those fill ins.  Are the answers primarily negative or positive? That's right - negative. What does that mean? How do you think the negative cultural beliefs that float under the surface of your awareness affect your relationship with money? Let me know. And, by the way, unconscious negative money beliefs make it  hard to accumulate more $$ and keep it.