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Think about it. Do you treat the money you worked hard for differently from the money you got with an unexpected bonus? Or from a lottery ticket you had forgotten you bought? Whay should it be differnt ? Ten dollars is ten dollars. Right ?

Not really. I've been exploring making money on the internet and recently checked my google adsense account. I have just crossed the ten-dollar mark. I was really pleased. This is the first money I have made entirely on my own, without depending on an employer to pay me, or needing a base capital with which to start investing. I worked really hard for it. On a per hourly rate, it would have made me slightly under one cent an hour. Pathetic. But I will treasure this money. Last week, I was also given ten dollars from the supermarket I regularly shop at. It came in the form of a voucher as I had accumulated enough points. I spent it immediately. Afterall, it was free extra money.

I was told of a study that was done. People were given a scenario. If you had bought a cinema ticket for ten dollars, and on the way to the show, dropped the ticket. Would you buy another ticket ? About fifty percent said yes, and fifty percent said no. Then the scenario was changed. This time, you are on the way to see a show, and you drop ten dollars. Would you still buy a ticket when you reach the cinema ? This time, ninety percent said they would ! The point of the study was to prove that we all think about money differently, even though the value is still the same.

Think about your salary. The hours you put in, the time you sacrificed from your family and friends for the company. That money was hard-earned. You would be very careful with how you use it. Now think about your bonus. Say the company did extra well this year, and gave out a much larger than expected bonus. What do most people do ? They rush out and treat themselves to a new toy/dress/handbag/sofa , put down a downpayment for a new TV, or go on a well-deserved holiday. At best, the bonus is spent. In some cases, they are in more debt than before. The same happens when people get a raise. They rush out and put a downpayment on a bigger property, or a new car, putting themselves in greater debt than before.

What about those who are lucky enough to win the lottery ? One often hears how people with money problems keep hoping to win the lottery, thinking that all their money problems will be solved. But ask them what they will do with the money if they got it and the answer generally involves

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