One of the big things or opportunities to work out as a coach is one's relationship with money.

One of the things I have learned working as a coach is the concept of having "enough" money.

A mentor of mine (who isn't around anymore unfortunately) had probably the most sanest relationship with money of anyone I've ever heard in my whole life. . .he was something of an extraordinary anomaly of sorts and I feel truly grateful to have learned from him. . .

He thought that working for money / chasing after money and worldly success was a complete waste of a life - especially if one could see that they've always been supported and always had "enough" . . .how do we know we have "enough"? well - we wouldn't be here otherwise. . . things work out . . .and it's only a scarcity mentality that drives people to constantly be searching for more more more . . .having to constantly be having to make way more than "enough" money - while never having "enough", or constantly in survival mode - regardless of how much money they have. This whole deal leads to some pretty strange consequences that have played out on the planet as a result - and this relationship to money is very embedded in the human psyche on many many many levels.

Anyhow - my mentor used to make sure to give all his money away and to others as soon as it came in . . .knowing that it was an inexhaustible supply where it all came from - as it's all God's or the Universe's money anyhow. His philosophy was that he always had "enough" and was always taken care of. Also, he believed, if he took care of others - especially making sure women around him were "heard" and honoured, then his retirement was ensured - which was totally accurate. He never had any money on himself but anytime he wanted something, someone would buy it for him immediately (i.e. plane ticket, trip, or whatever).

Coming from that place, he could relax and have life be a party and be 100% about taking care of others - making sure everyone around him was winning. Very remarkable and he didn't even want or need to draw any attention to himself. . .Time Life Magazine wanted to do an article on him in the 70s and 80s and he told them to take a hike because he instinctively knew that have success, fortune, fame would wreck his life and the party he was having. . . so so so different from people scrambling for attention and wanting to be liked or popular . . .really refreshing.

One time a single guy with no kids with late stage cancer came to meet with my mentor. The guy had been given the prognosis of a couple months to life. The guy knew that my mentor was a total genius and people had turned around impossible health conditions with him. The guy with cancer was a very wealthy accountant with around $1 million dollars around the early 1980s which was a lot of money back then. Anyhow, my mentor said "sure" you can come and live with us in the community, but you have to give us all your money (he could keep a tiny amount) but the rest had to go to the community. The guy with cancer had a fit and said "no way". My mentor said "you see, that's your problem. . .your priorities are all crooked. . .no wonder you're sick and dying! Wish you all the best!"

Anyhow, the guy went away outraged that someone would ask him for all his money and was confronted with what the doctors wanted to do with him around chemo, radiation and he'd probably still die anyways. In short order, he came back to my mentor with his tail between his legs and gave him his money.

My mentor took the money and used to buy everyone in the community (about 100 people at that time), tickets to Mexico and they blew it having a huge party over the course of a week with lots of drugs, alcohol and you name it. Of course, the guy with cancer came along for the party. They got in trouble with the law in Mexico and thrown in jail but the women seduced the guards in prison and caused so much of a ruckus the Mexican authorities sent everyone back to the USA.

Once back in the USA, my mentor, gave the guy a task of managing distributing the money but couldn't generate any of it. . .the women were mostly taking care of the generating aspect - so he had to learn to be nice to the women. . .something he hadn't learned his whole life (which was probably why he was single with no kids). Anyhow, he worked through that, a woman took a liking to him in the community and he completely cured his cancer and ended up living there for many years later. Total genius brilliant way of solving things. . .

My mentor often used to say - the people with lots of money are the most stuck in life and the LEAST likely to grow and expand. . .something that NO ONE wants to hear. . .but it was true. He found that people would not follow their heart if it put their comfort and money at risk - and their lives were mainly about keeping the money growing, protecting it from going away, etc etc.

Truly an extraordinary guy and he lived an extraordinary life . . .

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I like stuff like this as it really smashes up the current societal and worldview around money in me. . .I've found as a coach, one of the big questions I had to ask oneself is: "am I going to have money be the first priority or am I doing this to be of service to others as a first priority?" You can only have one first priority. . .it has taken me years and year and years of breaking up my attachment to worldly success, fame, money, etc. to see how much it colours my life. . .not to say there is anything wrong with the pursuit of money and going for lots. . .but "the love of money" certainly has led to the world looking like a very strange place, people not taking care of each other, a mentality of "I'll get mine first, screw other people or the planet and future generations" - and at the same time, it's totally fine if that's the case and people want to continue pursuing that in life.

Just imagine for a moment - if we could live thousands of lifetimes (who knows if this is true or not). . .but if it were the case - perhaps one lifetime, you'd say "screw going for money. . .I'm going to have the ride of going really being of service to others and trust that I will get taken care of in the process.

It literally has taken me years to see that I've always had enough, get enough money from clients coming in - often at the 11th hour, . . .the process has been to bust up all my doubt, fears, concerns that I won't get taken care of and I won't survive. Something really cool I find happens when that fear starts to disappear. . .it becomes way easier to tell the truth, not have to hide anything when working with others, be "real" - even when there's the fear they might leave as a client if you told them some truth and you're out wondering where the money is going to come from to pay the rent or mortgage. For this reason, having money be tight for so many years has been a total blessing for me in a way - something I never would have learned if I'd had lots of money all this time. . .and my life probably would have looked more like - how do I protect this money? . . .I probably would have never have taken the risks I did . . .betting the farm again and again . . . and never would have really learned to celebrate life as it is right now and isn't regardless if I have lots of money or next to none.

Do I have millions in the bank. . .no. . .but I always have "enough" and the "right amount". . .Incidentally I live right next to the ocean with a beautiful seawall, have a great family, wonderful relationships with clients and do what I love. . . I keep on getting "enough" and somehow it keeps on working out again and again, year after year. . . truly amazing. . . I can hear that "ya buts" in people's heads as they read this - reasons as to why their case is different but I've come to learn we can "win" with whatever hand we've been dealt this lifetime.

Anyhow. . .thought this might be of value here for people on the forum. . .at the same time, I think there's nothing wrong with having money be the #1 priority. . .just something to examine more closely.