Rubberband Racks

"Rubberband Racks" Money Canvas Art by IKONICK

As long as there has been money, there have been those driven to collect as much of it as possible.

Until the mid-1970s banks had currency counters to count each bill by hand. But more money meant more problems, and they needed a quicker way of accounting.

So the American Bankers Association came up with the idea for a standardized color-coded system of paper bands. An orange band denoted a $50 stack of one-dollar bills, a red band meant $500 in fives, and so on, up to the coveted black strap of 1,000 Benjamins (that's $100,000).

It’s a great system that made counting and handling money easier. However, there is one problem: Paper can't stretch. Once that black band is full of those 1,000 c-notes, it's maxed out.

Not the case with a rubber band. Natural rubber can stretch up to 10 times its original length. That means a lot more room for a lot more cash.

Those two methods of banding bills are a metaphor for two distinct approaches to life. You can either think in terms of a fixed mindset—i.e. the paper bands—or you can adopt a growth mindset—the rubber band mentality.

The fixed mindset tends to be the choice of defeatists. It is the thought pattern of those who see every challenge as incontestable. Whatever they see is destined to remain, and they have no ability to change their circumstances.

The growth mindset knows better. Those with the rubber band mentality know that they have control over their lives. If a challenge is too great for them at the moment, they know they can adapt, grow, and stretch their capabilities to rise to the occasion in the future. Even when the band is tight, the rubber can still make room for another bill.

It's pretty easy to guess which outlook successful people have. The reason their circumstances are so prosperous is that their growth mindset gave them control over every situation.

The rubber band analogy also represents the ambition to always want more. Successful people don't stop earning once their bank account hits some magical number. Wealth isn't a destination, it's a habit. It's the desire to keep doing what you've proven you can do, to support the life you want.

But don't call it greed. It's hunger.

"Rubber Band Racks" original canvas wall artwork from IKONICK is a symbol for ambition. There's no limit to the success you can reach and no limit to the amount you can earn. So adopt a growth mindset, stretch yourself, and grow your stack.