Notes from a 4-Day Extensive
How Free Do You Want to Be?
Not every client is dealing with life-debilitating addiction.
One recent client, whom I'll just call Joe, was simply wanting to develop a healthier relationship with money. Joe has an amazing vision for his business and wants to see it grow into the 2 billion dollar range. He has handled this kind of money for others and is now ready to do for himself what he has been paid to do for other investors for decades.
Many times we develop narratives early in our formative years that continue to form the basis of our relationships to people, money, and faith. Research from behavior experts David Whitebread and Sue Bingham of the University of Cambridge found that our approach to money, such as planning ahead and delaying gratification, is set by age seven. “The window is zero to seven,” said Guy Shone, former research director for the British government’s, “Money Advice Service.” This service publishes studies that have found “It’s very hard to reverse those habits later in life.”
Thank God, "very hard" is not the same as "impossible".
So this 4-day extensive work week began on a Monday with a road trip to beautiful South Padre Island (SPI). Joe chose SPI because of the connection he has with the beach and sunshine. It has always been a favorite place where he derives great positive energy and he associates it with good experiences. We thought it would serve as a wonderful launching pad for a radical week!
We booked a nicely accommodated Airbnb within walking distance to the beach. We brought food, drinks, snacks, laptops, and a guitar to keep us busy with our work and leisure.
Joe got in the car and in less than 15 minutes began working eagerly. I was pleasantly surprised by his energy and commitment. We later learned that one of his most valuable assets is his tenacity. I also learned he has a favorite song that aptly describes his journey. "Fight ‘til the end, cause your life will depend on the strength that you have inside you". I can't help but think of him and his success each time I hear the song replay in my head. It has become like a theme song in a wonderful movie where I see Joe climbing to the top of his Divinely inspired vision.
He'd write and then we'd review his work. I was simply trying to be a clean mirror that reflected his innermost truths to himself in order that he might gain clarity about himself and his relationship to money and self. We dove deep into ideas around debt, spending, shame, regrets, and pain.
When we arrived in SPI, Joe made a quick dash to the beach. It was fun to watch him enjoy himself so freely. I sensed he had chosen the best location to derive strength to face the work. He was impressive in his ability to turn on the work switch and then masterfully turn it off and turn on his relax and enjoy switch. He and I get our energy from different places and processes. He is a self-acclaimed introvert and I am extroverted. We had to give each other space to power up. Joe is a real warrior. His tenacity, punctuality, commitment to his work, himself, and his clients were amazing and inspiring to observe.
The second day began with home-cooked chorizo tacos for breakfast and then a trip to Coffee Karma Café where we'd work for four to five hours. We'd go back to the Airbnb and then to the beach for more sunshine, wave-boarding, football tossing, and relaxing. We ended the evening with a home-cooked dinner, this night we enjoyed Joe's oven-baked ribs!
The third day was bacon, eggs, and more work at Coffee Karma Café then lunch and beach-time. This evening we engaged in a bit of tennis volleying. Neither of us had played in decades but were still able to have a fabulous time. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! I cooked steaks and asparagus and later that night we had coffee and super tasty cheesecake while we finished up a little more work at Denny's.
The fourth and final day was spent driving home where Joe finished up his work just as he committed to do over the four days. He met his goal like a real-life champion. His perseverance, fortitude, and resilience came shining through. I was reminded of Rocky Balboa knocking out Apollo Creed just when we didn't know if he could do it or not.
Joe punched his way through four days of grueling spiritual work. He kept coming back round after round until he had knocked out his opponent; his past relationship with self and money.
Joe later told me that his big takeaway was that so much deep spiritual work could be done in such a short amount of time. He added that he thinks the results will continue to reveal themselves.
If you are stuck in addiction or just in a bad place with your career, marriage or just life in general, let's talk and see if you couldn't benefit from an exciting radical freedom coaching session.