The real meaning of money

I was having lunch with a friend this week. I love when these encounters turn into intelligent and philosophical conversations.

Our conversation was about what making money really means to us. 

We spend a lot of time making life sacrifices, working so hard to go after more money, but when does that journey ever end? 

When we achieve our goals, do we think “Oh well, my mission has been accomplished, it’s time to sit back and relax!?”

If you are one of those people who already has the target “number” for your business and you feel amazing, accomplished and in a relaxed mode, I applaud you dearly.

I, on the other hand, set a target for Stafi at the beginning of the year, to be reached by December. We are now in September, and I am VERY close to reaching that target.

That is amazing, phenomenal, I am so proud.

But, on the back and front of my mind I am thinking “neh, that target is now double!”

Just like that, I keep challenging myself more and more. And now, I am taking the time to think about how healthy or unhealthy that never ending overachievement state of mind really is, and what purpose it is serving. 

Is there a limit to how much we want in life in terms of money?

I believe money has a symbolic meaning to many things. For some people, money means “power”, for others, money can replace love. In my case, it represents being able to do something big, such as being “capable of” growing a business while being a woman wife and mother.

I find a big meaning right there, especially in the “woman” part. 

I grew up in a house where my brothers could do so much more than I could because of our gender. It was totally unfair and hurtful. I felt so angry and sad. But, there was nothing I could do about that. No matter how much I cried and begged my parents, they wouldn’t change their position.

Fast Forward to my adulthood, I moved countries (from Brazil to the US) and I am standing on my own feet. Ambitiously and viciously, I am working towards something so meaningful to me: proving to myself that I can do whatever I want, and be successful at it, while, at the same time, serving as an example to other women: WE CAN have everything in life. 

There will always be more women for me to help. There will never be a number where I say: that’s it, it’s time to sit back and relax. However, I want that to come from a place of internal warmth and abundance, not from a place of lack and need. It’s not about proving to myself anymore. I am done with proving, I already know: from now on, it is about helping you to believe that if I did it, you can also do it.

And that’s the whole philosophy behind Stafi: You can, indeed, have it all!