Money Can't Buy Me Love
A cornerstone of the Walden Roots process is identifying and defining a client’s two core values. Brene Brown defines core values as “the beliefs that are most important to you, that help you find your way in the dark, that fill you with a feeling of purpose.” Brene provides a list of values to choose from and the option to add to the list should you not find what truly defines you among the initial 125 options. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to periodically use this blog space to explore a particular core value on that list and how it relates to money.
“Love” is on the core values list.
Out of the 100 people I have taken through this exercise, 4 have chosen “Love” as one of their two core values in these powerful combinations: love & honesty, love & leadership, love & intention, and love & time.
What kind of people choose love as one of their core values?
Distinguished emotions researcher, Barbara Fredrickson’s, says for these people, love is valued such that it permeates everyday interactions, micro-moments of connection between people, even strangers, forming an emotional fabric that influences every part of their life from the mundane to the epic. My hypothesis is that this includes their finances.
The pattern that I have observed is that people who value love spend their money on persons, places, and things that create and protect a space for love to happen for example, short vacations with a few close friends, a home that has ample room for gathering, recreational equipment and vehicles that encourage moments of togetherness, and charitable donations to organizations or people they love. Now, imagine that this person is married to someone whose two core values are responsibility & thrift.
Choosing your two core values is a daunting task. However, once completed it has the ability to bring clarity to so many aspects of our lives while creating a love language for discussing why money is important to us. Could love be one of your two core values?
