Why I'm Hitting the Delete Button on the Word EXPENSE, and so should YOU.
Expense. Sounds like an odd topic for a wellness blog, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll explain. Stay with me. I’ve had multiple conversations recently around this topic. A friend asked if a new program I was joining was “expensive”. I had another friend comment that a specific company’s products are “so expensive”. I too have been quick to label various goods and services in that manner. Of course, there are many things that are not ethically or fairly priced for a variety of factors not in our control. I’m not referring to those things in this post.
What I am talking about is an epiphany I had. When we define something using a variation of the word expense, what we are indirectly and often subconsciously saying is “the value of this (good/service) for me is…” Everything that we purchase, every service we receive, every activity is an expenditure of something we value. Sometimes it’s money. Sometimes it’s time. Sometimes it’s an emotional investment. I’ve decided that I am deleting the word expensive in all of its tenses. When I’m thinking or speaking about an investment, I will speak in terms of the value I’m placing. Do you see how quickly that shifts our thought processes towards EVERYTHING? When we deem something valuable, or of good value, we will do what needs to be done to obtain that item or service. We will let go of what we don’t value as highly to adjust the value budget.
Ok, now let’s go a little deeper. If we value something, but still don’t make it a priority or allow ourselves to receive, that is a direct correlation of self-worth. See, I told you we’d circle back to the heavier sh*t. So, if we express or feel that something that we would like is “expensive”, really what we are saying is that we are not worthy of that thing so valuable. What?! Nah, girl. I’m squashing that, right here, right now. Going even further in to the rabbit hole of value, let’s talk time. Time is the only commodity that we all have equal shares, but cannot grow or recover. I celebrated my 50th birthday this year, and am recognizing more and more the value of time. Most of us spend the majority of our lives trading time for money. Even for those of us blessed to have a professional endeavor that is both fulfilling and lucrative, we still invest a substantial amount of time that we will never get back. That, for me, is an “expense” that I am looking at very closely. I’m actively working towards the goal of time freedom. I will post about how I’m achieving this, but that will be a different topic on a different day.
Do me a favor and join me in banning the word/concept of expensive. It will take some practice as this is something that is ingrained in us from a young age. When you are thinking about the expense, shift that question to “what value do I place for this?” If you decide that it is of value to you - then make the decision to determine the steps to obtain that value. If you find yourself experiencing internal push back, remind yourself that you are WORTH IT. If there’s still a struggle, remind yourself that Positive Patty said, YOU ARE WORTH IT. Thank you for valuing my words and ideas and investing your time. I’d love to keep this dialog open, so please comment and share.
