If you want a clear picture of your priorities in life,
who you are, and what you care about, take a look at your checkbook.
— Lynne Twist

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What follows is an edited transcript of the video excerpt above. It’s from Lynne Twist’s appearance on Super Soul Sunday where she speaks with Oprah about the Three Toxic Money Myths.

Lynne:

I call them “The toxic myths and the great lies of scarcity.” These are an unconscious, unexamined set of assumptions, a paradigm in which we live that has us look out in the world in these ways, even before we even think.

The first myth is “there is not enough.”
I see there’s not enough to go around and someone, somewhere is always going to be left out. And (think thoughts like) “I’ve got to make sure it’s not me and mine (whoever I consider that to be). I feel bad about that, but I can’t help them until I have way more than I need to take care of me and mine.”

The second myth is “more is better.”
I think, “more of anything, more of everything is better.” More. More. More. More. More. And we live in, and we all know it, a tyranny of messages that don’t stop telling us we need more of this, more of that. We’re not tall enough. We’re not skinny enough. We’re not educated enough. We’re not pretty enough. We’re not this enough or that enough, until we accumulate more, until we buy more. So the more is better culture is everywhere and it doesn’t leave us alone.

The third toxic myth is “that’s just the way that it is and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
This one is, I think, the worst because it holds the whole mindset in place. It has us think that we can’t do anything about it so we don’t try. It’s the source of resignation. It’s the source of people not thinking they can make a difference. It’s the source of institutionalized racism. It’s the source of institutionalized poverty.

So, (as a result of these 3 toxic money myths), we live in a culture that demeans human life, that exhausts more of anything and everything, makes us feel that we’re not enough, doesn’t give us any access to our wholeness and has us think that that’s just the way that it is.

No wonder people are miserable in their relationship with money!

Oprah (reminding Lynne of something she often says):

If you want a clear picture of your priorities in life, who you are and what you care about, look at your checkbook.

Lynne:

Yes! Your checkbook really tells you what you care about. You can also include your credit card bill and your bank statements. They show you exactly where your priorities are.

Sometimes you’ll find that what you are doing with your money is not very aligned with your soul.

Coming face to face with the toxic myths of scarcity can be confronting. Thank you for being willing to look at how these myths show up in your life; and, because of the courage that we know that takes, we salute your commitment to live in your full power, connected to the bounty that surrounds you.

To learn more about these 3 Toxic Money Myths and how to transform your relationship with money and life, read The Soul of Money.