"Money really touches everything. It impacts people's lives."- Emmet Burns, Brand Marketing Director for SunTrust
SunTrust Banks, Inc. conducted a survey that revealed money as the most common reason for stress in relationships. The need for money causes many of us to put our passions to the side and go for a more lucrative career. We trade years of our lives for financial security. We work, save, and sacrifice, and yet many of us can't keep up with the rising costs of living.
By going tiny and reducing our living expenses, we find our way out of this tug-of-war and money no longer controls our lives. When $20 no longer means the difference between making your mortgage payment and not, it becomes much easier to give to those less fortunate than us. Most of us know what it feels like to be in need, and when we go tiny we get the chance to "pay it forward". Whether it's a friend who's down on their luck, a charity fundraiser, or just a homeless person on the street, when we're not struggling to survive we realize that money means a lot more to them than it does to us.
It's not just a lack of money that puts a strain on relationships, but a lack of the time and energy necessary to cultivate meaningful social connections. As their finances stabilize, tiny house dwellers find themselves spending less time working and as a result have much more downtime. Having more leisure time gives people the opportunity to explore their own interests, sign up for volunteer work, and spend more time connecting with others. As humans, we have the psychological need for social connection. According to GoodTherapy.org, "Human connection brings complex values to our lives", and of these values there is a sense of belonging, the identification of our uniqueness in contrast to the group, learning from and being inspired by others' experiences, and an overall sense of purpose and meaning in life. We feel more fulfilled and happy when we take part in meaningful social interactions, which in turn has an impact on those around us and our communities as a whole as we impact the lives of others.
In contrast, when we are working to survive, picking up as many hours as possible, and physically and mentally exhausing ourselves to pay the bills each month, there's hardly any energy left for social connections, even with those we cherish the most. Work becomes our "home away from home" and the stress over money can make us easily irritable and almost antisocial at times. As a result our relationships suffer, and we miss out on the personal and societal benefits of connecting with others.
We all had a dream at one time, and then somewhere along the line we were told that we needed to grow up and face reality, get a good job, work hard, etc. We save our passions for our free time, which slowly dwindles away as our financial needs become more demanding.
But Imagine how far we could advance as a global society if we only had the time to use our passion to make a difference. Some of us love to learn and research, some of us love to teach and raise awareness, some of us love to write, some of us love to stand up for the rights of others, some of us love to create art of all forms, some of us love to travel and go on adventures... if only we had the time. Every person has a gift to give, and we could use our interests and talents to better our communities, countries, and even the world. The problem lies in the generally accepted path of success: work hard, aquire things, and aquire debt. As more people decide that a high paying job and a big house is not the only way, we can begin to redefine success as a society.
http://investors.suntrust.com/news/news-details/2015/Love-and-Money-People-Say-They-Save-Partner-Spends-According-to-SunTrust-Survey/default.aspx
http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/profound-impact-of-human-connection
