Many people think they have a money issue. Saying 'there is no such thing as a money issue' is a very provocative and challenging statement, yet this is exactly what I mean. A money issue is a 'you' issue in disguise. And the disguises are many.

What exactly is money? Some people will say money is crisp or soggy bank notes of varying currency values; others might say money is the power of your credit card. Still others say it is the sum value of all your property assets, and that how much money you have is what you are worth. And, in the illusion, all these are correct.

Okay, so what is money, really? It is very simple: money is energy. Nothing more, nothing less. And money energy that you 'own' is an energy that is connected to you by the strength of your ownership. For example, financial fear holds very tightly onto money energy, while inner security holds it rather lightly. All that you are – your inner program, your conditioning, your beliefs, your fears, your wants, your expectations, your relationship with your parents and family and much more – are all involved in your relationship with money. The energy of money is not your issue. It is your own energy of self-expression that is the issue. Your relationship with money energy is either clean or cluttered. If it is clean, I doubt you are even reading this, for you have no need to. If it is cluttered, then the first step is to accept that this is your reality. You cannot get out of a cage that you deny being in! To acknowledge the cage is the first step to freedom.

I am going to take two extreme examples to illustrate what I am saying, but first, be aware that I am generalizing in this article; I am not writing about 'your' particular issue. There are people born into wealth who have money problems, and people born into relative poverty with money problems. I will show you how, in both cases, money is not the issue.

The child born into a wealthy family faces many problems. Wealth has to be generated, and continually generating wealth requires a lot of focus and time. The child growing up in a wealthy family gets more than enough 'toys,' but the child's inner need for conscious, focused attention is seldom so well addressed. Generally, there is not enough time in the day to put in the hours that high-living moneymaking demands. This 'time demand' and consequent lack of focused attention powerfully affect the child. The wealthy often compromise by attempting to buy the love and respect of their children...and their future; a mostly futile gesture.

Somewhere in all this, the child can begin to develop a slow, smoldering anger and resentment. As the child grows, this becomes rebellion. By the time the child is a teenager, there is full-blown resentment and withdrawal talking place. To the child, all the evidence suggests that money is more important and more valuable than he or she is. Surveys in the United States indicate that the average time spent by a parent in focused conversation with their children is about thirty seconds a day! This does not mean simply sharing the same room. It means conscious, focused, aware, caring conversation. And this survey did not just relate to the wealthy; it was a survey of 'average' American families. The person who grows up in this wealthy home is likely to have a money issue, along with a multitude of other issues relating to self-esteem. Generally, the child, now an adult, has an inner voice that says ‘money is more important than I am,' or 'if I don't make as much money as my parents, I'm a failure,' or 'money is the most important thing in life.' And so on!

Let us look at the other end of the scale. Another family is money poor, struggling for enough funds on a weekly basis. Here, the most constant inner dialogue will be 'money is hard to come by,' 'fortune favors the rich,' 'there are laws for the rich, and laws for us poor,' 'it's the government's fault,' and so on. These or other negative ideas are constantly hammered into the receptive mind of the child, programming them for failure. The child grows up thinking that life is all about a lack of money, a continuous struggle, and that money is both the issue and the problem, the cause of all hardship.

Money is one of the most powerful triggers in human growth. Why? Because if you are interested in inner growth you are required to face 'your' issues, not your 'money' issues. The person who looks only at their money issues is either not into personal growth or is seriously lost in the illusions of life. And this is so common. 'True Prosperity' is a state of consciousness. It is about being conscious of yourself, conscious of whether you react negatively to life or whether you respond positively. It is about being conscious of whether you see life as a supportive or destructive process. A conscious acceptance that you are responsible for your life and for your fortune is the whole basis of True Prosperity.

True Prosperity is not just about money, but it does include money. True Prosperity is about the relationship that you develop with your life. True Prosperity is the fruit of this relationship. True Prosperity is when your relationships with yourself, with life and with money are all based in Truth, as you recognize and understand it. Your relationship with Truth will change and deepen, as will your relationship with self, life and money. And this is exciting.

Be aware that you can have True Prosperity without great wealth, and that you can have great wealth without True Prosperity. If wealth is the result – and it often is – of your improved relationship with yourself, with life and, most importantly, with Truth, then you are certainly sailing the ocean of True Prosperity. True Prosperity balances your health with your wealth. Whereas many people spend their health to gain their wealth, you will find that as your health prospers, so will your wealth. What a far more sensible, intelligent approach.

True Prosperity is the holistic path of intelligence, rather than the isolated path of the intellect. True Prosperity is a way of trust. Trust in your inherent self, in your intelligence, in your innate abilities, in your growing relationship with Truth. Intelligent and conscious trust is integral to True Prosperity. You are a Being of Truth and Intelligence... use them!

Michael Roads' new novel More Than Money, TRUE Prosperity will be available in September. For a chance to win a free copy, please visit www.silverroads.com/blm. Michael Roads will be coming to the Summit Spiritual Center in Akron on Sunday, July 4 at 7p.m. For more information, please call (330) 777-0250.