Why I Wrote the Check!

The necessary flow of money; it is its own energy.

Why we feel money and spirituality don’t go hand in hand blows my mind.  In my life I have experienced the flow of money as being very similar to the flow of energy.  The flow of energy is most certainly generated from the flow and connection to and from Spirit.  Therefore, for me, if we honor the flow of money, we honor the flow of energy, and in doing so Spirit is honored as well.

There is a childhood song which comes to mind by Malvina Reynolds:

“Love is something when you give it away, give it away, give it away
Love is something when you give it away,
You’ll end of having more.
It’s just like a magic penny
Hold it tight and you won’t have any
Lend it spend and you’ll have so many
It’ll roll all over the floor”

From a business perspective, if we honor money as energy, recognize money as energy, and treat money as energy, we can create a flow which includes more than just an income.  When money is treated this way, we also receive an unwritten understanding between individuals; value is created, we receive a commitment, a dedication, an understanding, and a sense of pride and even gratitude.

Here are a few stories in how this has worked in my life.  First a story shared to me by my step-father, a very successful rancher in Central Oregon.  He is internationally renowned for his breeding of horses, llamas, elk, and other exotics.  When he started raising and breeding llamas, the first in the nation to domesticate them, he was unsure what price to ask when it came time to sell.  Another very established rancher, who appreciated my step-father’s talents in breeding horses, asked him, “What is the value you place on your stock and your breeding talents?”  My step-father said, “It takes just as much effort to breed llamas as it does to breed the Arabians. I give them the same care, love and commitment.”

The answer was given to him when this man wrote a check for an unbelievably high amount, equivalent to a mid range Polish Arabian horse.  That moment, that energy in that transaction set into motion the following years of success my step-father experienced with his llama sales.  It set him up as the leader in the industry, and future llama breeders set their prices on his success.

I take this lesson to heart EVERY time I have a friend or I meet a person who is starting a business, creating a workshop, or providing a service that I believe in (key point here, ‘BELIEVE IN’).  I write them a check, and as I write that check I put into it the energy of my belief in them and what they are doing. And consistently, money, customers, and clients begin to flow and increase for them from that point on.

For example, a friend had a great idea for a workshop to help women find balance in their lives, fliers and brochures were done and posted, advertised, etc, but no one signed up.  I knew I wanted to attend, but I waited to sign up to be sure there would be class.  But then I remembered my step-father’s story, I knew there was value in this workshop for me, so I needed to show this value through writing a check to hold my spot.  She gratefully accepted it, and the interesting part, the following week she had a full house, everyone paying the price I had paid. 

Another friend of mine, designs gorgeous cashmere cardigans in bright colors, and at fabulous prices, but she couldn’t sell them.  Amazing how many suggestions she followed in how to market, promote and where to sell them, but nothing was working.  Again, remembering that money is energy and energy is flow, I joined her at a Christmas Bizarre to help sell her sweaters from a booth.  I was the first to purchase one, and I wore it proudly. Over the next two days she had record sales.

A personal example was when I held skincare workshops in my house.  When I did them for free, the turnout was low.  People canceled last minute or didn’t show.  A lot of preparation went into these events, so it was so disappointing to only have only three people in my living room.  Then I remembered the importance of value, my value in preparation and presentation, the value in the information, and the only way to show and give value was to charge for it.  So I began to charge $20 per person, $30 for two, and it worked! I had to create a waiting list, which lead to future workshops. 

The biggest lesson I learned was a spiritual one.  A few years ago, I created my own spiritual jewelry line with a ritual practice attached.  At first I created an entire inventory which I sold for barely enough to cover expenses. When I went to shows, I raised the prices. In both cases, I hardly sold anything.  That is until I focused on the value of the jewelry, it wasn’t in the jewelry it was in the ritual that went with it.   But how do you charge for a ritual? How do you charge for spiritual work?  I didn’t think I should or could. So I didn’t, and I suffered for it.  People came to me wanting to get something sacred and special and not have to pay for it.  I began to notice that the spiritual work they needed to do, they wouldn’t take seriously until they found value in the process.  Like tithing, you pay just enough so you feel it, and this adds commitment to your practice.

It wasn’t until a business woman came to my house to pick out a pendant and hold ritual.  Afterwards, she wrote me a check for the value she felt it was worth to her, and my heart burst open in gratitude when I opened the folded check.  Like my step-father’s story, this transaction set the standard for my business.  Not one person has complained, as a matter of fact, the flow of money, and joy, and sacred sharing has grown more abundant than ever in my business.

The common denominator in these stories may seem to be me, but these stories could be yours.  The common denominator, the lesson I hope we all can embrace, is the importance of placing value to what we do, and we do that through money - by charging for our services and products, and by paying for the same and paying what they are really worth to us. 

When we pay for an event we are excited about, we show up.  When we pay for a product we find beautiful, we wear it proudly.  When we tithe in a church we are showing commitment to our faith.  Once we recognize that money is energy, and energy is a flow to and in our existence, and when we write a check for something we believe in, we transfer that belief from ourselves to the person we give the money to.  It is in that transaction between creator and client that the transfer of energy is passed on.  And it continues beyond that moment, beyond us. Success is sure to follow.