You are at a get together and you overhear a group of people talking and hear the old but familiar notion, “If I just made 10% more money, I think I’d be right where I want to be”. And then a year from now, they do, but the sentiment remains.
Why is this? What is this road that seems to never end? At what point will we be satisfied?
These are questions that tend to swirl in my mind whenever I hear this conversation. Now, for some people, perhaps lower income families with a few children for instance, 10% really might actually get them to a place where they have achieved some level of basic financial security. Yet, for most of us, this conversation invites a curiosity and begs a deeper awareness into our hearts.
For some, the desire is to achieve a certain status. For others, to accrue more stuff. To many, it is to ease anxiety. There are so many reasons underlying this wanting ‘just a little bit more’ and to understand what is the motivation can create space for such healing and relief in many people’s lives. In other words, to understand the void and how we try to utilize finances to fill it, and then to learn what the true need is gives us a chance to live with more gratitude and contentment.
As therapists, when we hear a sentiment that echoes the “a little bit more syndrome”, we have the privilege to press in and investigate what is really going on and hopefully, facilitate true freedom and a healthier relationship with finances.
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Phil Zaffos is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Financial Planner specializing in financial planning services for mental health professionals. Learn more about Foundation Planning and it’s services here.
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