February 2019 www.womanthismonth.com 40 LIFESTYLE | opinion ON LOVE AND MONEY Financial expert Pria Masson Tanwar gives us a monthly dose of economic wisdom. It’s that time of the year when love is in the air. It’s the season to celebrate love and relationships, even beyond romantic love, and to revel in all the good that comes with our various relationships. There is, however, one relationship that we don’t acknowledge as a relationship – our relationship with money. In the world we live in, outside of theoretical ideals, more often than not, it also takes money to express love. Through the meal out, through the small gift (or large), through the flowers, the chocolates, candy, romantic dinners, weekend getaways and a multitude of small and big gestures to express how important that special relationship is to us. Relationships, however, can be tricky things. There is no one way to deal with them and no one way that’s right or wrong. They are just on-going journeys that we navigate as we go along. Our relationship with money is no different. We go through life being dependent on money in odd ways and being independent of it in a lot of wonderful ways. It’s one of those relationships that we have that we can love or hate, but we just cannot ignore. And what can’t be ignored, is best understood. Because what you understand, you can mould better to your own advantage. Each of us has a financial history which goes beyond how much money we either have or had. Its about how we were taught, or learned, to interact with money. There are people who had scarcity of money but felt an abundance. There are more people who have an abundance and still feel scarcity. A dinar is not just the actual value of a dinar. It goes towards what you can get with that dinar. For some, it’s that bit of clothing. For some, it’s the quick snack. For some it’s a tip, and for others it is a piece of paper that will lay in their bank accounts till there is a very justified cause to use it. Money, however, is also different because it’s completely quantifiable. You know exactly how much you have, and you know how much you need to part with to acquire something that you want. What happens when you enter a subjective relationship with something as logical and factual as money? You learn to realise that how you spend, what you spend on and how it makes you feel, are tempering your financial decisions. The history of our financial relationships determines our risk-taking abilities as well as our abilities to maintain a lifestyle and plan for our futures. In order to assess your financial situation, you need to acknowledge your relationship with money. Is your relationship antagonist or pleasant? Do you always feel you have less, or do you feel grateful for whatever it is you have? When you spend that dinar, does the object you get give you satisfaction or do you wish you had that dinar instead? This is important because we thrive when we have love. And, what we love thrives as well. Apply this to your relationship with money. If you have gratitude, treat it well, appreciate it and maximise its value – like with all other relationships, you experience a sense of calm about it. And that calm is invaluable towards a wholesome life – financially and otherwise. You can follow Pria's Instagram account at money_cues or view her profile at http:// www.i2d-consulting.com
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