Money is not a method of keeping score.It is not security in the bank.

It is not a treasure.

Money is a slip of paper, or a metal coin, which represents the possibility of trade.

Money is simply a symbolic representation of the value we place on the few minutes we have, the dreams we have been given, the skills we put to work, the ideas we imagine, the people we know, the relationships we have, the ability to entertain, the things we can create.

We are not exchanging money for what we want. We are, in fact, exchanging the things we truly value. Sometimes we make a good exchange–we hire someone to do work, and thus give ourselves a few more minutes to spend with our famlies, or on a recreational pleasure. Sometimes we make a poor exchange–we give up hours we could spend with our families for a few dollars each. Sometimes we make the exchanges we have to make, poor or not, to get by.

But it is worth considering–if you are not exchanging money, if money is just a symbol–then what are you really trading…

…and what are you getting in return?