It has been said that money is the root of all evil. Some new age healers believe that one shouldn't charge for their healing services, probably because they see money as an obstacle. Over the years, I've come across people who avoid conversations about money because it brings up a lot of bad feelings. Obviously it does bring up bad feelings between married couples because it's the number one reason why divorce exists. Even homeless, and hopeless, people see money as an obstacle, something unobtainable. Oftentimes people will say, "If only I made more money, I'd be happier." But, when you've been in a state of lack for a very long time, how you think of money does tend to change. It has to.
Some people may say that I was homeless for a period of time. To me, being "homeless" means that your bed was the most comfortable patch of weeds you could find under a bridge somewhere, or maybe even an obscure park bench. Although I was never in this situation, I was in a state of pretty extreme hardship during a ten-month period between 2001 and 2002. For two years before then, it was the generosity of my family that pulled me through the rough times. But from October 1, 2001 until June 30th, 2002, I lived off of whatever money I could put into my pocket from having my office located at a truck stop in Bartonsville, PA. I wasn't making enough money to support both a place to live AND the office. So I lived in the office, sleeping on an air mattress every night, and hoping that I had at least one customer the next day so that I could buy lunch.
Now we know, all these years later, that being an audie was the main reason why I had so many difficulties, and still do to a large degree. As I was driving toward my Scrabble club get-together yesterday afternoon, an interesting thought about money hit me from out of the blue. Lately I had been so busy with making lists of places to contact about my autism seminar, trying to come up with article ideas, looking for work, and taking care of the house while my wife is away on vacation. Then today, the director of a local college's continuing education department asked me if I could help her put together and promote an autism awareness program. I thought that what she wanted to do was a fantastic idea. But it would just be another big project added to my list. Therefore, it hit me, out of the blue, to charge for my services. The thought didn't arise out of greed nor of a sense of need -- it was borne out of the necessity to PRIORITIZE. Thus, a new paradigm was created.
Since being self-supportive, monetarily speaking, has always been an area of desolation in my life thusfar, perhaps seeing the whole money thing in a different way will make the difference. Instead of seeing money as something elusive yet necessary, or drowning in a state of extreme lack thereof, I will see it as a way to prioritize the tasks and services that I provide to others. The more effort something will take, the more its cost for me to do it. It is more than just giving to receive as in making a purchase. It is adding VALUE to what is given, and it puts things into a hierarchy on a priority scale.
Now I am not talking about receiving a paycheck for a job. I am talking about prioritizing the things I do as a self-promoting freelancer and entrepreneur. I am also not talking about egoistically embellishing my self-worth. Lord knows that money is NOT something that is needed to live. If you can't afford a place to live, there are always homeless shelters and food banks to carry you through. I say that because I was THIS close to being there. Being in such a situation does tend to destroy a person's ego and make them more appreciative of what they DO have (if they don't lose all hope in the process). It's about knowing that you have a lot to do and a lot to offer in this world, and about knowing that the only way any of it will lead anywhere is if you prioritize. The measure by which priorities are set is MONEY.
Just a thought.
