The Myth of Dirty Money

How Our Messed Up Attitudes Can Keep Us from Success

I grew up with the idea that money was somehow dirty. It was one of those things that was never talked about. Certainly not in polite society. It was as taboo as sex and politics. Nasty things could happen if you turned your attention to thoughts of money.

Some of this came from a place of good intentions. Greed, the kind that makes you neglect more important things in the pursuit of money, is certainly evil. Envy, the kind that makes you wish bad things for those who have what you wish you had, is certainly evil. But plain ordinary money? It’s just a tool. It has no motivations whatsoever, for good or for evil. All those come from ourselves.

When you bring all that dirty money baggage to the table along with a decision to be in business, it can cause some confusion in the mind. It’s a little thing that psychologists like to call cognitive dissonance — when your brain is trying to handle two competing ideas at the same time and starts overheating.

You can’t avoid money and have it, too. It knows when it’s not wanted. (Just kidding about that last bit. Money doesn’t know anything. It’s just a tool, remember?) You can’t make money unless you’re selling something. You can’t sell something without talking about money. You can’t talk about money if you believe it shouldn’t be talked about.

This confusion of intent can cause a person to self sabotage. I found I wasn’t doing some of the things that I needed to do in order to move my business forward. I found myself being constantly distracted by new projects, instead of finishing the things that I had already started. I found myself scared and reluctant to reach out to new clients and potential partners. I knew I had to work on my attitude first.

But isn’t money the root of all evil? It says that in the Bible, right? Well, no it doesn’t. It says that the love of money, the kind that manifests in greed and envy (see above), is the root of all evil. So, we come back to the idea that it is truly your own intentions that matter.

John Wesley, a noted Christian evangelist and theologian, put it this way:

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

― John Wesley

If you have a heart to do good for yourself and for others, one of the best things you can do is to make all the money you can. This gives you the opportunity to help others and yourself in ways that you could never have imagined. (See? Money is really good, after all! Still kidding. Money is just a tool. Neither good nor bad. It’s all about you and your own attitude.)

I’m not saying I’m there yet. I’ve had to work through a lot of crazy, lingering ideas that have caused me to be hesitant about asking for money and promoting myself in my business. But I’m making progress. My business is growing. And I’m thankful for all of those who have helped, or who are helping, and or who will help me along the way.

This article is part of the introduction to the Fix Your Money Mindset Course at my website, HomeFreeMedia.com.