Financial Desire and Personality Archetypes
We all want different things with our financial endeavors. Our money-making pursuits are based on things like our personalities, backgrounds and individual requirements. But what I want to talk about most here are the things we really want to spend our money on but don't technically need, our feelings around those desires and what they mean. A $600 pair of Manolo Blahniks, the latest Kindle, a day at a luxurious spa, a trampoline for your kids, lots of real estate, a sexy Porsche or a trip to Cancún are a few examples of extra-financial pursuits.
Spending money can be weird to talk about. Do you ever find yourself wanting to spend on extra things that you feel guilty about? You feel a tad selfish, wanting these things? Maybe you aren't very comfortable openly discussing them, even? Or maybe you don't feel bad whatsoever?
The truth is, the desires we sometimes shun as superfluous and selfish can reveal useful things about ourselves and what we need. Many people don't feel bad at all for wanting them, and more power to 'em. Own your desires! But still, others do feel guilty, which leads me to my next point: we all have unique layers to our personalities.
I have to add -- after having my boyfriend proofread this post, I realized that there is likely a drastic difference between the ways women and men perceive money. This makes perfect sense to me. Men may be less inclined toward guilt and other negative thoughts/feelings around finances. So interesting. I'll probably explore this in another post!
Anyway, allow me to introduce the personality archetypes. They're the inherent, unique parts of who each of us are, or the different traits within one personality. We're all shaped drastically by our earthly experiences too, of course. But our actual personalities still matter. I'd like to use money here as one way to exemplify that.
I'll give you one of my own guilty spending examples: I feel the strong desire to spend money on my smartphone. I like to have the latest and greatest version of the iPhone. I want the best camera, the most storage, the newest smartphone technology, and the cutest-yet-most-protective case I can find for it. I like to share my photo edits on Instagram and stay up to speed through my phone regarding the latest news stories, messages from my loved ones and social media stories, videos and such. That's a personality archetype that I possess -- one with the desire to be connected, ultimately. Yep, it's a little embarrassing to talk about. See?
I'm inclined to feel bad about my gadget appreciation. There are people in this world who don't even have access to clean water, children getting blown up in their own homes, and unwanted animals being euthanized every minute. And I'm over here with my expensive phone posting pictures of my spoiled dog wearing a raincoat. That points out another archetype within my personality -- the devotional empath with awareness and compassion for every single living thing on this planet.
I should mention that I also have a strong, very judgmental archetype that favors structure and practicality. If I let it, this aspect of my persona will tell me that I'm selfish, pathetic and needy for seeking nice devices and connectedness.
So the devotional-empath, overly-critical and connected-techy parts of me don't really go together in a way that makes it comfortable for me to spend money on my iPhone. And if I allow it, the empath and critical archetypes will make the techy one cower and hide in shame. But the desire for putting money toward optimal connectedness doesn't go away when this happens -- I just end up repressing it and feeling inner frustration.
If I allow them all to shine by integrating them together in a beneficial way, I'm better off because I'm owning who I am. For example, I can integrate them by browsing social media and sharing valid news stories and articles that promote world justice, signing petitions, donating to causes, sharing what makes me tick here on my blog, RSVPing to benefits . . . even just seeing what the hell I can do to help, because all resources nowadays are pretty much online! And as for the inner-critic, I can allow it to only be critical in the ways that I need (like with perfecting my writing in the ways that I want it to come across) and provide the necessary structure around who I truly am. I'm more balanced when I let them all have a job, then. Choosing to honor all of my archetypes can broaden my positive influence on the world. Allowing all parts of me to shine makes a difference, and this is just one example of how I can identify them and put them to better use.
And regarding money: it's true that some of us are taught from a young age that desiring it is immoral, especially with the goal of purchasing things like technological gadgets and fancy cars. There's so much more to life that we should focus on, right? That ideology varies in who it affects and how of course, due to social backgrounds, personalities . . . and as I mentioned above, maybe even gender?! Nevertheless it's hard to deny that money can correlate with abhorrent greed and evil-doing. Also, choosing to be mindful, frugal and minimalist often teaches us valuable lessons. I love these simple yet powerful words by Immanuel Kant: "We are enriched not by what we possess, but by what we can do without."
However wanting money, even an abundance, is not wrong. Really, how could we NOT want money in this world? Everything requires money. The more we have, the more freedom we have. Doesn't everybody want freedom? Repressing financial desire is pointless and actually quite limiting. If you don't want money, because you think it's unethical, the root of all evil or whatever, then you're unlikely to have money. Or therefore the freedom that comes with it. Simple.
Money isn't really the root of all evil -- lack of empathy is. When humans with an abundance of money (and therefore power) lack empathy, we see horrible things happen. The average money-hungry people out there without enough concern for others or the planet create many more awful consequences. Learn empathy, people. Value other humans and living things. Envision things from other points of view. And make the effort to understand how you're impacting the world.
With that said, we should absolutely be conscious of egoism and the world systems that coincide with and are affected by our financial pursuits. But it's worth it to take a look at the desires we have and ponder which of our archetypes is seeking them out, and why? What are the archetypes trying to say to you, about who you truly are? Are you shunning them? And how can you channel this energy for your greater good? Or that of the world, even?
Consider someone who finds herself wanting to purchase luxurious items, products and experiences such as a gourmet meal, beautiful ball gown or spa treatment (whether or not they allow themselves to have these things). This is an archetype they possess -- one that values pleasure, quality and beauty. An archetype that seeks enrichment through luxurious experiences and products.
The inner desires coming from this archetype never actually go away even if she shuns them. Say she's embarrassed by her inner desire for luxury because of something her mom taught her as a child. Perhaps she's been told that it's tacky to self-indulge or spend money on fancy things. But until she learns how to best honor her money cravings, (in a responsible way of course) she may struggle with this inner conflict indefinitely, and it may reduce her self-esteem through self-sabotage and negatively impact her life. We embody how we treat ourselves. Why not live to the best of your own ability? When you acknowledge who you really are and permit indulgence in what you really want, you're better able to flourish. Especially when you can coordinate that part of yourself with the other archetypes!
And it's not just about so-called selfish indulgence, either. There are also people who whole-heartedly want to spend their money on family and other people, fixing-up their houses, even on causes. That comes from a nurturing archetype. Imagine a dad who hasn't bought himself new clothes in several years because he never cares to use his funds for himself in that way. He'd rather spend on his kids and the upkeep of his home. And that fulfills him. This isn't better than the aforementioned luxurious pleasure-seeking archetype, although some may be inclined to think so. It's just coming from a different personality with desires more likely accepted by a common ideology we're shaped by.
Our society teaches us to think inside a box that isn't necessarily true to who we are inside, and it can pain us and create self-scorn. Some individuals have trouble hearing (or even caring about) what any of their archetypes want to spend money on. They're just trying to survive in a world that doesn't care whether they live for who they really are in the universe (or therefore thrive in their fullest potential).
If we all suddenly became true to ourselves in a positive way, I'll bet the planet would be a better place. More balanced people is a great starting point toward a better world. I'm sure that if the 45th President of the United States and his administration really looked at how to integrate their personality archetypes in a good way, the general population would like them more. Maybe that just goes back to empathy? Anyway, acknowledging where you want to put your funds, and even how you react to those desires, is a great way to pinpoint some of your inner traits and find ways for them to better interact. Think of it as a step toward a the betterment of our world!
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Where do you most often find yourself wanting to spend money?
What archetypes have you been suppressing? I'd love to hear in the comments! Oh, and how do you view masculine vs. feminine attributes around money? I'd like to write another post just about that!
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