People who are most successful with money tend to depersonalize it — either seeing it as a game or as a means to an end. But Joe argues that neither frame is necessary. All that’s required is to stop making money personal: not a reflection of your worth, your identity, or other people’s value.
“All that’s required is to not have the money be personal. It’s not a reflection of me. It’s not a reflection of who I am. It’s not a reflection of who other people are. You just have to see yourself as human beyond the money.”
The sign that you’re taking money personally isn’t feeling scared or guilty — it’s hardening yourself. If you have to build a wall, become defensive, or shut off your emotional experience around a money situation, that’s the clearest sign you’ve made it personal. The “it’s just business” mindset is actually the most personal response, because it requires suppressing genuine emotion.
The least personal approach to a difficult money situation (like firing someone) is the most honest and connected one — acknowledging the reality, staying emotionally open, and genuinely caring about the other person’s wellbeing. Paradoxically, the most human response is the least personal one.
Related Concepts
- Money is a projection of childhood emotional patterns
- Money beliefs create money reality
- Money as oppression or empowerment
- Owning your wants means being okay with having them
- Obligation oppresses every domain it touches — money, work, relationships
- Money is a screen for projection
- Seeking power is always an expression of fear
- Saying ‘ouch’ to the inner critic creates distance from it