A Magic Carpet Ride 🧞‍♀️ to Priority Land

Join me for a minute. I’m going to take you on a magic carpet ride. To a land far, far away. Where the everyday rules don’t apply. Where money doesn’t matter. Where the things that are really important to you are what matter. Where your priorities can be in the order you want them to be, not the order society tells you they should be, or in order of the stress they cause you, or in order of any sort of belief systems artificially built to make you entirely insane. Aaaand noooowwww you are getting sleepy, very sleepy………. kidding, we are on a MAGIC CARPET RIDE! Can I get a “HECK YEAH”?! And it’s glorious! You get to be exactly who you want to be, you get to prioritize your life exactly the way you want to prioritize it, you get to forget about mortgages, car payments, bills, finances, money. Money doesn’t matter on this magic carpet or in the land where we are headed. Money isn’t necessary. Money doesn’t exist. Poof! Now tell me about your priorities.

Perhaps it’s your health? The function of your legs & arms, the ability to breathe deeply, your heart pumping just the way it’s supposed to, to fully oxygenate your body. Your vision, your hearing, your taste & smell (anyone lose that sense during Covid? Weird, and awful right?) Your skin, your largest organ, protecting you from all the environmental elements & toxins.

Maybe loved ones came to mind? Your parents. Your siblings. Your friends. Your partner, or spouse & the moment they hug you tightly just when you need it most. Your furry friends, the wags, licks, the unconditional love. Your adorable 2 year old that sprints as fast as he can to you, when you pick him up from daycare. Your oldest who still mumbles I love you (not in front of friends of course). Your girl(s) who want to be just like you. Especially the you who no longer has to worry about money.

Perhaps your town, your community, your home, your space came to mind. The safety & comfort of having things just so. Space for you to cook meals, host friends, cozy up, or launch adventures from. It’s perfect just the way it is and none of it requires currency of any sort at this moment. Maybe this came to mind as a priority.

For some, maybe work. A mission you have set out to fulfill. A skill or talent you love to share. A company you love. A team who counts on you, or a boss you admire & respect. Maybe there are some perks, the monetary ones don’t matter, remember, so perks that match your values allowing you to do more, be more, live more. (Anyone work on a mountain? At the beach? Ski for a living? Sing for a living? Read for a living?)

I’ll pause here. While you are thinking of it write your priorities down. Remember money doesn’t matter. Money is not important. Money is not necessary. Money doesn’t exist. Money is not your priority.

Sadly, its time to say goodbye to our magic carpet. Ciao, magic carpet! And we are back in the land where money is the center of the universe. Money makes the world go round. Or does it? Or, maybe more accurately, does it have to? Now you may be thinking…. "easy for you to say lady… I can’t possibly not think about money. I’m strapped. I’m broke. I’m obsessed. I’m a high achiever. I like nice things. I live next to the Jones’s. I’m…. fill in the blank." Turns out, despite writing musings about money as I do. I too prioritize money. Care about money. Stress about money. I’m an entrepreneur for gosh sake, I think it’s in the job description to worry about money because I never worried as much when I was in a corporate h*ll hole (errr, I mean safety net).

And since our magic carpet is not real (sorry to bear the bad news). Money is something we have to think about, live with, learn to love, love to love. But perhaps we can use money to spotlight the priorities that really matter rather than the perceived deficiencies we conjure up. I will say that as an entrepreneur with a job description that requires worrying about money, I spend a lot more time thanking my lucky stars for my health, my home, my family, my community, my ability to ride my bike, ski, and hike. Instead of wanting more (money), I refocus on appreciating the things that actually make my life richer. It seems to work.

It also makes me look at some of my past spending habits with disgust. I’ve certainly had fashion addictions, appearances I cared about, fancy trips, luxury items I thought I needed. Turns out the old yoga pants work as well as the new ones. High heels REALLY hurt your feet. Gap puts out some killer jeans & they are always 60% off. And my kids love the experience of a $20 campsite as much as a luxury room at the Four Seasons. So maybe de-emphasizing money as it pertains to our individual being is a healthier existence? Focusing less on paychecks and bills and more on the intangibles that money can’t buy. We can’t totally ignore money as we did on our glorious magic carpet, but perhaps we prioritize it where it needs to be on our list behind our health, our family, our friends, experiences, work, our community, whatever little gems you jotted down during our pause. And then maybe, just maybe, money will flow freely, without stress or worry, just as it should.