Most people think money is about math.
Addition. Subtraction. Interest. Income. Expense.
But money, in real life, is not about numbers.
It’s about feelings.
Ask a man with ₹50,000 in savings who just lost his job how rich he feels.
Now ask a man with ₹50 in his pocket who just got hired for a ₹15,000/month job how poor he feels.
Same world. Same economy. Different hearts.
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I still remember a day I had ₹1,000 left in my account.
I was 22. Rent due in five days. I hadn’t told my parents. Too much pride. Too much fear.
I walked to a local shop with ₹100 in my hand and bought a packet of milk and some bread.
That evening, I made tea and toast.
It tasted better than any meal I’ve had since.
Not because of the food, but because of the control. I felt like I still had a choice. That I wasn’t lost yet.
And that’s what money often is—not power, not luxury, not even success. Just control.
The ability to say, “I’ll decide.” That’s it.
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Some people think having ₹10 lakh means you’re rich.
It might.
But I’ve seen people with ₹10 lakh cry themselves to sleep—afraid of losing it, comparing themselves to others, anxious they still don’t have “enough.”
And I’ve seen people with ₹10 in their pocket sleep peacefully, because their debts are paid, their day is done, and they aren’t measuring their life with someone else’s ruler.
Money doesn’t just buy things. It changes your emotions.
Sometimes it makes you feel safe.
Sometimes it makes you greedy.
Sometimes it gives you confidence.
And sometimes, it becomes your greatest fear.
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Here’s something I’ve learned:
> Your experience with money becomes your story about money.
A boy who saw his father lose everything will grow up afraid to spend.
A girl who grew up in a rich home but was emotionally neglected may spend wildly—trying to buy the attention she never got.
Two people can look at the same ₹1,000 differently:
One sees security.
One sees a lost opportunity.
One sees freedom.
One sees a reminder of poverty.
And that’s why money advice never works the same for everyone.
Because money is never just money—it’s childhood, it’s trauma, it’s fear, it’s dreams, it’s status.
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The richest feeling is not in how much you have.
It’s in how little you need to feel okay.
You’re rich when:
You stop needing to prove anything.
You feel calm when you check your balance.
You can give, without fear.
You can say “no,” not because you can’t afford it—but because you don’t want to.
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When I finally got stable income, I thought I’d feel powerful.
But what I felt was this: "I can breathe now."
Money didn’t make me happy.
It made me less scared.
And maybe that’s all we’re really chasing—a life with fewer fears, not more things.
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Takeaway:
> Money is not about numbers.
It’s about how safe, in control, and calm you feel inside.
Written By Sarthak(Click To Visit Sarthak)
Published By Novel Mint