Thank you for sharing this, Teri. I’ve had such a similar relationship with money all through my life. I’m working on fixing it!
I tried an experiment with the first two years of the mindful writing course and let people pay on a Dana basis. But sadly I couldn’t support myself on what people offered. Even though some people paid slightly more than the minimum I suggested, most paid a lot less. I love what I do and am happy that I did that so that people were able to take the course and benefit from it but I had to change it this year and make it a fixed price. Which is still low for a full year’s program as I want to keep it accessible.
I think a Dana Offering basis is totally appropriate for a beta-run of a program. Doing it this way for The Creator Retreat is teaching me so much about the value of the program —and the scarcity mindset of other people.
I don’t know what I’ll do next year, but I’m learning a lot this year. and that learning is worth it.
Your analogy of money as a person... "if money was a person, it would have left me years ago," and then your subsequent realization, "I was the abuser," is soooo freaking brilliantly unconventional and is a deeply insightful perspective.
We often talk about our relationship with money in terms of control, lack, or abundance, but rarely do we frame it within the emotional landscape of a relationship – complete with abuse, neglect, and manipulation. This flips the script entirely. If we treat money not as a cold, inanimate object, but as something with which we have a living, breathing connection, how might our behaviors shift?
Imagine treating your finances as you would a cherished, if sometimes challenging, partner. Would you ignore its calls (unopened statements)? Would you lash out at it with reckless spending (impulse purchases)? Would you hoard it out of fear, suffocating its flow? Probably not, if you truly valued the relationship.
Alex, since I started thinking of money as a dear loved one, my relationship with the scarcity/abundance mindset has slowly and gradually shifted, considerably…away from the abusive relationship to one that is rather endearing. I’m still not where I’d like to be, but I’m getting better every single day. It certainly was a self-awareness gut punch to change my perspective to this.
Michele! We would love to have you join the course. We don’t have all the answers, but we can create a safe and honoring community to explore these relationships and find our own ways to address them.
Thank you for sharing this, Teri. I’ve had such a similar relationship with money all through my life. I’m working on fixing it!
I tried an experiment with the first two years of the mindful writing course and let people pay on a Dana basis. But sadly I couldn’t support myself on what people offered. Even though some people paid slightly more than the minimum I suggested, most paid a lot less. I love what I do and am happy that I did that so that people were able to take the course and benefit from it but I had to change it this year and make it a fixed price. Which is still low for a full year’s program as I want to keep it accessible.
I think a Dana Offering basis is totally appropriate for a beta-run of a program. Doing it this way for The Creator Retreat is teaching me so much about the value of the program —and the scarcity mindset of other people.
I don’t know what I’ll do next year, but I’m learning a lot this year. and that learning is worth it.
Always learning 💙
Your analogy of money as a person... "if money was a person, it would have left me years ago," and then your subsequent realization, "I was the abuser," is soooo freaking brilliantly unconventional and is a deeply insightful perspective.
We often talk about our relationship with money in terms of control, lack, or abundance, but rarely do we frame it within the emotional landscape of a relationship – complete with abuse, neglect, and manipulation. This flips the script entirely. If we treat money not as a cold, inanimate object, but as something with which we have a living, breathing connection, how might our behaviors shift?
Imagine treating your finances as you would a cherished, if sometimes challenging, partner. Would you ignore its calls (unopened statements)? Would you lash out at it with reckless spending (impulse purchases)? Would you hoard it out of fear, suffocating its flow? Probably not, if you truly valued the relationship.
WOW. I'm floored.
Alex, since I started thinking of money as a dear loved one, my relationship with the scarcity/abundance mindset has slowly and gradually shifted, considerably…away from the abusive relationship to one that is rather endearing. I’m still not where I’d like to be, but I’m getting better every single day. It certainly was a self-awareness gut punch to change my perspective to this.
This is revealing, a naked truth. I have a toxic relationship with
money. A lifetime of financial troubles, impulse buying and massive credit card debt. I will revisit
Course info later this evening. Thanks.
Michele! We would love to have you join the course. We don’t have all the answers, but we can create a safe and honoring community to explore these relationships and find our own ways to address them.