Or “Understand your needs, especially financial”

It’s no use knowing only your final destination if you don’t plan the way you want to get there. We call this objective.
Unfortunately, the average Brazilian tends to think a lot only about short-term goals. It’s the newly launched cell phone, the trendy sneakers, the clothes from that famous brand, that “unmissable” promotion.Added to this is the fact that we are social beings: we build ourselves as a society by relating to other people, and feeling the need to be part of a group. If our desires as an individual do not have some synergy with the collective desires of the group we are part of, we likely end up feeling excluded.In this regard, actor Will Smith reflects in just one sentence on what is perhaps the biggest problem with consumerism:
We spend what we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like.
What do you need to make your life simpler and uncomplicated?
No one knows better what your priorities in life are thanyou do. And perhaps this understanding is essential for us to walk more assertively toward our goals. It’s okay to own the newly released cell phone as long as it’s a priority you’ve set for your life.
But how do I set my priorities?
The American psychologist Abraham Maslow published in 1954 the study “A Theory of Human Motivation” in which he establishes that human behavior is based on a Hierarchy of Human Motivation. Needs, in a defined order: Physiology, Safety, Social, Esteem, and Personal Fulfillment. Schematically, we can think of the shape of a pyramid:

Source: Gradus
Quickly: you will only fill your Safety need if your Physiological need has already been met, and so on. Realize that our Fulfillment will only truly happen when our Psychological Needs have been met.
Marshall Rosenberg, in turn, is the precursor of Non-Violent Communication (NVC), which is based on the premise that, in building more authentic and true relationships with the world, we need to look inside ourselves and investigate what are the needs that need to be met so that we can express genuine feelings in our lives, thus building relationships based on love and truth. To delve more specifically into this topic, I recommend this article from the Tales Gubes, one of my preferences when we talk about how to communicate authentically.
When asking the question “Why am I feeling this way?”, we can investigate two questions: what is the feeling I am expressing at this moment, and what is the need that needs to be met.
Instituto CNV Brasil carried out a compilation of such feelings and needs, cited in the literature over the last few years. Together, these terms can name the way we express ourselves in the world. And from the moment we bring something to our consciousness, we can act to change that situation.
Source: Instituto CNV Brasil
But what does money have to do with this story?
Unless you are a person who lives in a cave, meditating all day and eating exclusively on what nature provides, you will most likely need to face the fact that there is something that unites us as humanity: money.
According to the book Sapiens — A Brief History of Humanity, money is an imagined reality: something that we all believe and, persisting in time and space, exerts an influence on the world and on the people who believe in it. In other words, we have entered into a collective agreement that a piece of paper (or an electronic transaction) means a symbolic exchange. Paper itself has no value, but one day we could imagine that value collectively, and this belief has remained through the centuries, giving rise to what we call a capitalist empire.
In it, money is perhaps not the only, but the main tool capable of satisfying our needs and generating feelings. We need to achieve our goals and objectives.
It all depends on the way we look at it: while it can be a blessing, it can be a disgrace (any similarity to the way water is treated in the award-winning movie “Parasite” is not purely coincidental). It depends on whether you see your financial life as a burden or a solution.

When it comes to money, do you feel like you’re always putting out fires, without finding the real reason why this is happening?Maybe this is the time to look inside yourself and investigate what feelings this causes you, and what needs are not being met because of the possible lack of this money. Try to remember that your salary and your cost of living are different things, and start thinking about medium and long-term goals. When you start using money as an ally for your goals, your perspective changes.
How to make this happen? In an era where digital dominates our lives, here are several financial influencers that have positively changed the way I look at my financial life:
Natália Arcuri (MePoupe!): journalist by training, today she has the largest financial education and entertainment channel in the world, with more than 4 million subscribers. Responsible for “turning the key” of my financial thinking through this video:
Source: MePoupe!
Thiago Nigro (O Primo Rico): with one of the biggest channels on YouTube, it brings together more than 50 thousand people in live videos at 5 am, through financial intelligence content.
Ana Laura Magalhães (ExplicaAna): graduated in International Relations and a Master’s in International Political Economy, she is an advisor at XP Investimentos and a massive producer of content on Instagram.
Breno Perrucho (Jovens de Negócios): at the age of 22, he started the Law, Medicine, and Production Engineering faculties, but did not finish any of them. Its channel is dedicated to financial education and business, with a language and visual communication that is very accessible to young audiences.
Goals and money will always be topics that will generate a lot of discussions. Within the rule, there are exceptions, which makes things even more interesting. I understand that in a capitalist society we will always have our privileges. And we must see them in a way that makes a positive impact in the search for a more just and egalitarian society.
Understanding our feelings and needs can transform our financial and personal lives. Just one step.
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