By Helen Huntsman

Seeing $1,450.72 withdrawn from my checking account could mean something exciting… or something awful.

Seeing $1,450.72 withdrawn after realizing I’d lost my debit card?

Yeah. Really not great.

Do I have your attention? Good.

Let’s talk about how this very real moment in my financial life helped me understand the Law of Relativity—and how it might help you too.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I grew up in a military family with eight kids packed into a 900-square-foot home. So, my relationship with money?

Let’s just say it’s been... tense.

I remember watching my mom hide bills—who she was hiding them from, I have no idea. But it was clear: money was something to fear.

As I got older, I started doing the work—both spiritually and personally—to shift my mindset. In the '90s, I made a conscious decision to stop having automatic, dramatic, knee-jerk reactions to anything money-related. I’ve had mentors, read books, and practiced this for years. Slowly but surely, it started to click.

Fast forward to the day I saw $1,450.72 missing from my account. Instead of spiraling, I paused. I blinked. And then I said, “Huh. Well, that’s interesting.”

No tears. No panic. No dramatic monologue. Just... curiosity.

Like I’d spotted a weird-looking bug on the internet and thought, Oh, look at that.

The Law of Relativity

The Law of Relativity can be a bit fuzzy at first, but here’s how I simplify it:

“There is no good or bad situation. It just is.”

It doesn’t mean you suppress your feelings or fake positivity. It means you step back, look at the situation for what it actually is, and pause before reacting.

Think Get Smart: “Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts.”

That’s what this law gives me—a moment to assess before emotionally spiraling. Because let’s be honest, living in a state of constant reaction is exhausting.

The truth is, it’s not the situation itself that defines whether it’s “bad” or “good.” It’s how we compare it to our expectations, or to other experiences. Our interpretation colors everything.

So when we aim to find neutral first—not fake-happy, just neutral—we create space to shift into a better place emotionally. And that makes it a lot easier to find real solutions.

Okay, But What About the $1,450.72?

Back to that mysterious withdrawal.

After my brief “huh!” moment, I asked my husband if he’d surprised me with a luxury weekend in Park City. (He hadn’t—but hey, now the idea is out there.)

From there, I followed a spiritual nudge: “Have him call the girls.” We have three kids—our two oldest are girls.

Turns out, thanks to some bizarre banking glitch, an old account connection from when our second daughter was in college had popped up, and the bank pulled funds from our account to cover her furniture shopping spree.

My daughter felt awful. The next day, she met my husband at the bank and transferred the money back. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault. It was just one of those things.

And because I wasn’t stuck in panic or blame mode, we got through it smoothly. That’s the power of applying the Law of Relativity.

The Takeaway

I’ve used this law at many points in my life, but this story felt especially relatable—because let’s face it, money stress hits hard.

So if you’ve ever felt reactive about money, I want you to know: you’re not broken, and you don’t need to shame yourself for your emotions. That kind of guilt only piles on.

Instead, imagine yourself like a compass, gently nudging from very negative to slightly negative, to neutral, to slightly positive, and eventually, to peace. I learned this approach from one of my favorite teachers, Esther Hicks.

You don’t need to slap on a happy face. But you can use tools like gratitude, prayer, meditation, or deep breathing to shift gently into a better space.

I hope this story gave you something helpful for your own journey.

With heart,
Helen Huntsman

Let’s stay connected: @PivotYourLife

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