Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something. ~Eric Hoffer

I believe in what I do and what I have to say, so when I saw this new video circulating Facebook I just had to share it with you.

It’s called ‘The Art of Asking” and it’s a TED talk by Amanda Palmer (You can watch the video at the bottom of this post).

The Penny Drops!

What this brave and courageous woman had to say resonated so much with my soul, it left me shell-shocked for about an hour while I tried to process this invaluable information and apply it to my entire life.

What stood out for me were the similar experiences of self-doubt:

Is what I’m doing of use to others?

Should I get a ‘real’ job?

Am I just kidding myself?

I have 3 passions in life; every one of them has brought me to these questions (and brought me to my knees!).

Careers with Bad Reputations

I started out as a musician in a band but…

My Limiting Belief:  Musicians are bums and lay-abouts, they don’t earn money. No-one takes you seriously.  Get a real job.

Then I pursued my love for art and I became a full-time artist but…

My Limiting Belief:  You can’t make money being an artist, you’ll struggle all your life.  Get a real job.

Then — oh God forbid — I started to write!  And…

My Limiting Belief:  Writers are poor, they don’t earn money.  If you don’t make it onto the Best Sellers list you’ll never make it.  Get a real job.

Money, Monks, and Misunderstandings

The worst part of it was that I am a ‘spiritual’ writer and there is a hefty stigma that you should not earn money off spiritual advice.  After all, stereotypically monks, nuns, and Buddhists are humble, simple, poor people.

I also tend to shudder when I see a siight offering spiritual advice accompanied by a paid subscription.  However, I’m the one with the problem — everyone has a right to earn money.

Money is an energy swap.  I give you, you give me.  The figure of eight is complete and everyone walks away with an equal exchange.

I am one of those people who cringes when I have to ask for money.  Something in me thinks that it’s like begging and that is shameful.  I seriously need to get over it if I’m going to keep up my chosen career.  If I don’t, there’s a nice cashier job waiting for me at my local grocer.

The Two Common Stumbling Blocks

Asking for this ‘energetic exchange’ or money brings a strange dichotomy.  The problem, as I see it, lies with these two things:

Self-belief/love — Do you believe that your product/service/talent is worth it?  I.e. are you worth it? Are you creating/providing a service from a place of love and passion?  Or is this a means to an end?  From my experience, if you don’t love what you’re doing, you’re in big trouble when it comes to integrity.  Doubt will creep in where there is no passion.

Fair exchange — Here’s the humdinger.  What to charge? Yikes, I’ve encountered so many people who suffer big time with this.  They either charge too little for their expertise or they charge too much.  In the latter case, it’s just because they may be in a profession where there is potential to charge a lot but they are not experientially there yet.  They shoot themselves in the foot by charging professional prices with beginners experience.

The Solution

Love what you do.  Have a burning passion for what you do.  Trust in your clientele or the people you exchange your services with.  If there is a way that you can let them determine what you are worth, then go for it.  Trust that they will reimburse you with fairness and integrity.

I’m not saying everyone will give you what you or your services are worth but it’s in my experience that more people than not, will compensate you appropriately when given the chance.

Letting as Opposed to Making

In the video, Amanda Palmer said that instead of asking how to make people pay for services you should let them pay.  That was my ‘a-ha’ moment.

With our economies in collapse and the entire global population wondering if money will even be present in our future, this novel idea of trust in commerce rings bells in my head.

We are moving into a new consciousness on this planet — heart-centered living — and this kind of energy exchange just might work!

Let’s Put Integrity to the Test

I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is (pun intended!).  I’ve just self-published my second book, ‘Carpe Diem or Bust — a Spiritual Guide to the Good Life’, and I want to share it with the world — whether I make money from it or not.

Of course, I’d like to make money as I’ve also got bills to pay but I believe in this book so much that I’d rather it got read than having it be just another Amazon book statistic. That’s not why I wrote it.

I know it will help people but I also know that a lot of people won’t read it because they can’t afford the luxury of buying books right now.  So, in light of what has just been discussed, I am offering my book to you for free.

I trust that you will enjoy it and find the information on the pages of value and should you wish to contribute — by donating to keep me and my passions alive — then you are most welcome to pay whatever you want to. Here is the link: http://cherieroedirksen.com/free-ebooks/

Any system can change if we all agree to make it happen!

Also, here is Amanda’s TED talk:

How Trust Can Bring More Abundance into Your Life

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