In the first three installments of this series, we explored the three Scarcity Toxic Myths:  “There’s not enough,” “more is better,” and “that’s just the way it is.” (if you missed these you can find them on here on the On Purpose Blog )

“When you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands.” Lynne Twist — The Soul of Money

When we’re ready to move beyond the great lie and myths of scarcity, there is a new world and perspective to explore and to eventually embrace.  Buckminster Fuller, one of the great men of the twentieth century, called it “sufficiency.”  Bucky, as he was known by many, including one of students, Lynne Twist, stated in 1976 that our technology had advance so much and was now doing more and more with less and less to the point that for the first time ever in the history of humankind there was enough of everything for everyone to have a satisfying and fulfilling life.

“Sufficiency – In our relationship with money, it is using money in a way that expresses our integrity; using it in a way that expresses value rather than determines value. It is a context we bring forth from within that reminds us that if we look around and within ourselves, we will find what we need. There is always enough.

He also pointed out that it would take us at least fifty more years before we really embraced this truth and began to live fully in this new world of sufficiency.

That may be true on a global consciousness level, but I do believe, in fact I know from personal experience, that on an individual level it is possible to fully embrace and experience such a world — NOW.  While I’ve been calling such an experience a life on purpose, integral to such a life is the realization of sufficiency — that there really is enough for everyone.

An important step towards living in such a world is to rethink the whole notion of money.  What if “money is like water.”

Sufficiency Truth #1:  Money is Like Water

Trying on this perspective can provide us with a refreshing and exciting new look at an old subject — money.  As Twist points out: “When we see that money is something that flows through our lives and through the world, we realize it doesn’t really belong to anyone; or we could say it belongs to everyone and the opportunity we have is to allow this resource, like water, to move through the world in a way that nurtures the most people, and the highest purpose (my emphasis).”

When we begin to operate from this truth, money then becomes an integral way in which we can express our deepest held values and beliefs as we use it for the greater good of all concerned. While this may, at first, feel like a radical concept to put into practice (because it is), when we do, we’re well on the way to transforming our world to one that reflects sufficiency.

Writes Twist: “Like water, money is a carrier. It can carry blessed energy, possibility, and intentions or it can carry control, domination, and guilt. It can be a current or currency of love — a conduit for commitment — or a carrier of hurt or harm.”

I’ll be honest, this is a fairly new perspective that I’ve been experimenting with over the past year or so.  It’s also what has led me to investing in entrepreneurs around the world through Kiva.org (www.Kiva.org) because I feel it’s one way I can share my own ‘purposeful prosperity’ with others without needing to wait until I’m a millionaire.  Entrepreneurship is also something I believe strongly in, knowing how much of a difference it’s made in my life.

So, how might you direct the flow of some of your “good green energy”  (well, our money is green here in the U. S.) in ways that are an expression of your core values and life purpose?  I’d love to hear about it.  Why not post your comments on the On Purpose Blog below and/or on our Facebook Page.

We’ll be finishing up this 5-part series next time as we examine two other “sufficiency truths” from The Soul of Money — What You Appreciate Appreciates and Collaboration Creates Prosperity.