Maggie Kulyk writes, “…George Kinder’s book The Seven Stages of Money Maturity had a profound
influence on my exploration of money and its relationship to the heart. In that book Kinder advocates
asking ourselves some key questions in order to discern what truly matters to us. Once that is
articulated, we can then work to deploy our financial resources in that direction.
The practice below was taken from Kinder’s ideas on this topic, which I’ve tweaked slightly based on my
own experiences working with individuals and groups over the years. So here we go: Let’s do a thought
experiment….
It’s helpful if you allow yourself some quiet, uninterrupted time to think about the scenarios below.
Once you have had time to think about them, write down whatever emerges. Writing is important in this
instance because the words themselves may help “incarnate,” or make real, a vision for your life.
Let’s say today you find out you have five to ten years to live. You won’t be debilitated; you will simply
die suddenly within that time frame. Think about it for a while.
What would you change about your life?
What would stay the same?
What choices would you make?
In what new direction would you turn?
What are the money implications of your decisions?
After mulling that over for a while, consider that instead, you only have one year to live.
Does that change any of the answers to your questions?
What would your ideal day look like in such a scenario?
Finally, consider the idea that you will die before sundown today.
Now what does your day look like?
What are you regretting that you didn’t do?
Who did you not become?
How do you ultimately want to “spend” whatever time you have left?
How do you want to impact the world?
And conversely, what doesn’t really matter?
We all know that moment when we find out someone we love is hurt or sick. All the extraneous stuff
goes out the window, and we become sharp as a tack. Things that seemed important ten minutes earlier
suddenly have little or no meaning. That’s the power of this kind of clarity and focus.
On the other hand, some who experiment with this may find they are doing exactly what they want to
be doing and would change nothing. This is important knowledge to have as well. This practice is just a
thought experiment. I don’t want to present it as more profound than that. People change over time,
and their goals and insights change—this is the nature of living. But try it and see if it helps you assess
whether the outer structures of your life—including your financial structures—are aligned with your
inner life and heart center. Write down any insights that come to you. They may be road signs worth
paying attention to and may be a good starting point to aligning your life’s vision and values.
Kulyk, Maggie; McGeachy, Liz. Integrating Money and Meaning: Practices for a Heart-Centered Life (pp.
94-96). Chicory Wealth. Kindle Edition.