Psychology of wealth. Myths and reality. Over the centuries, money has become overgrown in the human mind with various superstitions, fables and prejudices. People deified them, exalted them, endowed them with magical properties and... hated them fiercely. Possession of “despicable metal” did not entail meanness, betrayal and murder. The “Golden Calf” powerfully influenced human destinies: it could bestow unlimited power and take life. Over the centuries, hundreds of myths about money have evolved, they reflect the passion to possess it and the fear of this possession. Nothing has changed over the years. Many people still agree with the popular wisdom that “Happiness is not in money..., but in its quantity.” This is one of the most famous myths about money, which causes millions of people around the world to set unattainable goals and suffer from unfulfilled dreams. Out of one hundred respondents, 98 said that they would like to increase their income by 4-6 times and then all their problems will disappear. “If I have money, then this will solve all the problems, I will not have problems, I will become happy, calm, satisfied with life.” However, the fact is that having money does not solve our internal conflicts and problems. Xenophon, the ancient Greek writer and commander, said: “Do you really think that my life has become as much more pleasant as I have become richer?” Having more money gives rise to even greater responsibility, but not everyone is ready to bear it. But, nevertheless, no matter how much money a person has, he continues to suffer from a lack of it. By the way, in the minds of the ancient Greeks, the cruel Plutos was the god of wealth. Unlike other gods, he does not encourage, but curses those who worship him. The two daughters of Plutos are quite a match for their father: Moria, the goddess of stupidity, deprives her of reason, and Kakonia, the goddess of suffering, makes her suffer. If you observe the life history of the richest people in the world, the picture emerges sadly. It’s as if some kind of fate haunts the rich all over the world, drives them into depression, pushes them to commit suicide, and leads to insanity. The great American writer Jack London was one of the most educated people of his time. He spent incredible effort to become rich. And now the goal has been achieved: he has a huge estate, two yachts, substantial bank accounts... So what? He bitterly admits that he was truly happy only when he was poor and lived a free, adventurous life. The result is suicide. The famous Kodak and Russian millionaire Savva Morozov committed suicide. Oil magnate Rockefeller was dying in a terrible depression. But even if he did not commit suicide, madness set in. Having amassed a huge fortune, Alfred Krupp ended up obsessed with personal safety. He made over fifty thousand entries on this topic. “I think,” he wrote, “we need to hire a second sentry who will supervise the current first sentry, and maybe a third one to look after the second.” Of course, money as a means of fulfilling desires helps to get what was previously not available. Wealth opens up a world of unprecedented opportunities for a person: live and enjoy life, fulfill all your desires and whims. But... the joy of acquisitions is fleeting. The habit of luxury arises very quickly, delicacies turn into an everyday diet, diamonds into trinkets. “I have an academic degree, a luxury car, I am completely independent financially,” a 32-year-old American admits in a letter to a psychiatrist, “and regarding sex.” and personal prestige, I have much greater opportunities than I am able to realize. The only question I ask myself is what is the point of all this?” World-famous psychic Uri Geller, himself from a poor family, talks about how he first became acquainted with the life of the Western elite. “I noticed,” he writes, “that some of these fabulously rich people were very bored, and I realized that money did not give them complete happiness. They definitely need something elsethis is necessary.” I am afraid that the reader has suspicions that I am calling for universal poverty. In no case! The root of the word “poverty”, from the word “trouble”... It is unlikely that I would have written this article and conducted training on the psychology of wealth if I had considered poverty to be my idol. The desire for well-being is natural for a person. It is absolute truth, not fiction, that money is needed. They help meet life's needs. From the most essential: food, warmth and safety, to solving your professional and spiritual problems. You have to pay both for a piece of sausage and for training. The higher a person’s needs, the more expensive they are. Every person, if he is not a hermit monk, strives for well-being. However, well-being and a tight wallet are not the same thing. People tend to absolutize money, consider it a standard of social recognition, and even a measure of their “I”. A bank account becomes the equivalent of a person. A person becomes depersonalized, becomes a hostage to money, believing that this is where happiness lies. This is another myth about money. You can be the richest, but suffer from insomnia, neuroses and feel the loneliest. Well-being and financial well-being lie precisely in having enough money. Enough for what? And what exactly are the needs of each individual person? For one, one jacket in winter and sandals in summer is enough, and it doesn’t matter to him that “they don’t wear that anymore,” for another, a tiny house by the river where he happily fishes, and for a third, an education at the Sorbonne. A person makes a choice himself. Money allows you to survive, gives you the opportunity to express yourself. However, everyone's ways of expressing themselves are different. This depends on the personality characteristics, the scale of values ​​of each individual person and, as a consequence, on the level of his needs. The most important task is to understand what exactly you want and why you need it? Many people set illusory goals for themselves, and when they achieve them, they are bitterly disappointed. Money is not the goal. Money is a tool, a means to achieve and realize needs, desires, aspirations... And here the main idea of ​​human existence arises - his relationship with the world, with other people, with money and, first of all, with himself. Who are you, why did you come into this world, what do you want? If a person is at odds with himself, if relationships with loved ones are not going well, all the riches in the world will not make him happy. Understanding yourself, your true desires, not those inspired by advertising, is the key to a prosperous existence. And if, listening to himself, agreeing with himself, a person understands that he needs wealth, and he is ready to bear all subsequent responsibility, then he must go and act. And if life is not so bad even without a million, then it is better to accept this life as it is and not waste energy on “empty troubles.” But let’s return to the myths about money, of which there are countless numbers. For example, you often hear: “When I finish college, buy an apartment, find a well-paid job, give birth to a child, move to Monte Carlo, and then I will live happily.” In other words, I will complete the tasks set for myself, work hard and, as a result, get my piece of happiness. But the result may never come - one goal leads to another, and now life is over. And where is the happiness that you have been waiting for, when all the problems are finally solved? The whole point is that there is no path to happiness. There is no place where everything is like heaven. It is important to understand that happiness is the path itself. And such an understanding will make it possible to live now and strive for well-being now. There is also such a myth: Everything in this world is predetermined: how much money I have, so much will always be. It is not given to me to become rich. On the one hand, humility is undoubtedly a virtue. But it’s unlikely that you decided to devote yourself to asceticism. Listen to yourself, are you really so humble or have you just given up on yourself. You don’t want to take responsibility for your life and blame your mom, dad, grandparents, boss, and the country’s leadership for what you do..