And I’m not joking.
The world desperately needs you to be in full control of your economic power.
Think about yourself. And think about the women you know: what do we do when we have extra money in our lives?
We help other people.
We donate to charity. We support small businesses. We give of what we have so others can have, too.
Now, it might be nice to live in a barter economy where you’d never have to worry about money, where you’d never have to think about money.
But the truth is: the world is run by money.
And I’ll be the first to admit that I was naïve about how change happens in the world.
I just figured people vote and then that’s how laws change – and I really didn’t think beyond that.
I couldn’t have been more wrong, though. Laws change because billionaires pour money into research. Research is then used as a basis for lobbying for a change in the law.
Lobbying which those same billionaires fund because they believe in the cause or because they stand to make a profit from the new law.
Money is power.
And the flow of capital reflects our values, whether you want to admit it or not.
And our priorities for money create our society.
Many of us recognise this on a macro-level but we don’t think of the role we play as individuals.
Nor do we think our financial lives have any impact on the larger dynamics at play.
But they do.
Because collectively women have a tremendous opportunity to shift our societal norms.
Just look at things like the #MeToo-movement. Together we have the potential to change the values that underpin our economies and our societies.
The hard truth is that people with more money have a bigger say in what the world looks like.
And it’s not always for the better.
This is why it’s so important that more people get a seat at the table.
People who haven’t had this kind of power in the past need to have it, now and in the future.
We need more diversity in our collective decision-making and women, people of colour, people with disabilities, non-binary, transgender and queer voices are crucial for a future in which everyone benefits from globalisation.
Research has shown that when women have money, it benefits the economy and raises the GDP.
Because we tend to invest 90% of our assets and earnings back into our families to buy nutrition, education, healthcare, and more.
By comparison, men tend to only reinvest 44% of their income back into their families.
Women tend to invest more in other women and girls as well – who then, in turn, invest in their families, other women and girls. I want this world to be full of women changing the world for the better.
When you want to have a say in shaping the world you live in, the world your children and grandchildren are going to live in, your ticket into that is money.
Historically, women haven’t had access to money and power.
And we still have a long way to go before we reach parity, but we’ve made considerable progress.
According to one estimate, women will hold $110 trillion in assets by 2025. That’s an enormous amount of capital!
And there’s a lot of power involved in having access to that much capital.
We – women – have to stop thinking about money as something that we do or don’t deserve.
Just like education gives you access to higher-paying jobs, money gives you access to a new level of decision-making and shaping the world.
And money is the tool that does that.
We need you to be at that table. We need your voice.
Will you step up for a better world?
TODAY’S HOMEWORK:
In minute detail, write a description of your perfect day.
Describe everything about it from the moment you wake up to the moment you close your eyes to sleep. Don’t leave out anything.
Here are some questions to help you along:
- How much money do you have in monthly income?
- How much money do you have in your savings account?
- Where do you live?
- What kind of house do you live in?
- What do you see when you look out the window?
- What does your family look like and how do they act?
- What tasks is your workday made up of?
- What hobbies do you have?
- What do you do for fun?
- Where are you emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually?
