What Gives You Money and Meaning?
Each year at Ellevated Outcomes, we center ourselves around a theme. Two years ago was Say No to Grow. Last year was Hearts & Smarts. And for 2021 we are excited to introduce Money & Meaning.
How do we select our annual theme, you may wonder. I don’t mean to sound like a weirdo (but I am, so…): for the last 3-4 months of each year, I intensely listen and watch our clients and the world around me, observing and absorbing latent needs that people may not know how to articulate – but lie dormant underneath their worldly worries. I’m sure that it’s not shocking that money has been weighing on people’s hearts and heads, as we’ve moved through Corona world. But this may look different than you think…
If I may, allow me to start by sharing my cliff notes anthology of money and meaning (this is the super short version, I promise!).
One of my most vivid childhood money memories happened in the basement of Hecht’s department store, outside Washington, D.C., circa 3rd or 4th grade. My mom and I were shopping for school clothes, and I inquired, “When will I be allowed to pay for my own clothes?” I remember her reacting in a surprised way. I don’t know what age she quoted me in her reply, but I remember that the essence of the answer was “not yet,” and I was disappointed (I did have my own allowance and birthday money, after all; not to mention the proceeds from my daycare-based t-shirt business).
Even from that young age, I felt it in my little bones: having purchasing power is… power. It’s a chance to control your own destiny and a choice of how you move through the world. Even if in the silly little symbolism of buying your own back to school outfit.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve continued to hold that view: Money gives power. Freedom. Choice.
A few months ago I was chatting with a mentor, and somehow we got on the topic of money. He volunteered, “My problem is that I don’t care about money; my business partner handles all of that because it just doesn’t matter to me.”
I thought to myself, “You don’t care about money because you don’t have to care about money. You’re a white dude, and you have lots of it.” But shockingly, for once I kept my mouth shut (good job, Julie!) and slowed my heartbeat, to respond more eloquently.
I flat out said, “I care about money. A lot. Because money equals power, which is so magnified right now. And power puts you in a position of choice. Control. Independence. And especially for a female (or this female at least – ha), that is really, really important.
And when you have power, choice, and independence, you have the freedom to choose the meaning you assign to money, instead of the other way around.
While in the depths of Corona last spring, a friend made a beautiful, poignant observation that’s stayed with me:
Your clients are making good choices because they have choices to make.
Though of course, we’re not out of the woods yet with the virus or the economic impact of it, our clients have soared. They bought low and vibed high (and did what we told them to do, ha). They’re coming out in incredible, fortunate, and well-earned positions. They know what gives their business meaning, and then they put money to work for it. And then the cycle follows through, and the business works for them.
And the same thing goes for us. We as a company, find meaning in helping them do this. It’s the beautiful thing about our business, if I do say so myself: we make money when we help others make money. And that currency – that energy – doesn’t stay static. It creates meaning, then sends out ripples of it. We start with our own little humble pocket of the world – but if all goes according to plan, these little ripples will compound throughout the world, over space and time, beyond reaches of what we’ll ever know.
That’s the power of freedom. Choice. Control. And I believe that to whom much is given, much is expected. And when you think about things that way, it sure does give money some meaning.
