Are you in a hypnotic state now? If there is one word that will bring most people into a hypnotic state where they salivate just like Pavlov’s dog its the word “Free”.
It is THE buzzword of our last decade and wherever you look (especially with software and the internet) that is the word that people flock to.
I’ve been there too my brother for quite a while, but then it dawned on me, that this word, with that oh so sweet sound to it, could be one of the meanest traps towards experiencing real growth - especially when it comes to those areas of financial abundance and self-appreciation.
You might be dazzled by my words, but follow me for some lines and you might agree, that “Free” is not always free for your mind - indeed it could be the word that kept you enslaved to your miserable life for too long.
We Got Used to "Free"
Nowadays with the internet and its vast collection of free material available, people expect to get almost everything for free - software, music, video, entertainment in ever area, books, knowledge - everything is free.
I won’t go into the discussion that some media moguls started recently - and yes this blog gives away lots of valuable tips and my most profound knowledge without charging - but I also know that this is a problem. However it is not so much a problem for me, I am not afraid that I won’t get my share of money if I don’t threaten you to pay me for my wisdom. No, that would be a step back towards scarcity mentality for me - read my article „Release Your Fear of Scarcity” about it.
It‘s Not About Price - It‘s About Value
What I am referring to, is not the price you have to pay (in $) but the value you have to invest in the knowledge.What do I mean? Let me give you an example.
Let’s say that I give you a piece of valuable information via my blog. That is free. You don’t have to pay anything. So the price is $0. The question is how much do you value the information? Especially, if it is one of 5, 10, 20 or more articles you read that day.
Why (Sometimes) An Expensive Coach Is Better
What if I would give you the same information during coaching, but I would charge you $1,000 for it. Would that change your perception? Would you make sure, that you apply the knowledge in your life? Would that increase your awareness of the content? You bet.
You see, very often charging a high amount of money is one of the best motivators to get people using the stuff they already knew inside anyway. But knowledge is not power. Knowledge is potential (or dead) power until you awaken it through your actions. Read my article ”This Article is Dead - Awaken It from Death” for more.
The Danger of Free or Cheap Knowledge
You see the danger of free (or cheap) knowledge is, that you collect it and leave it until it is covered with the dust of your mind forgetting about it, without applying the potential power to your life.
If you’ve ever been to coaching I bet that you paid a decent amount of money not to hear anything new, but to be reminded and motivated to use the stuff you already had within you as potential. That’s why I call a great coach a highly paid reminder service. And I don’t mean it tongue in cheek - I know that great coaching is worth every damn penny. I have been around coaches charging over $1,000 per hour and they were worth their money and yes, you are focused once they start charging you.
Think about it this way - who do you think is more capable in helping you become successful - a coach who charges $10 per hour, $100 per hour or $1,000 per hour. Now $1,000 might feel quite uncomfortable for you, but I bet you are intrigued and associate a level of expertise and knowledge with it that is at least 10x that of the $10 per hour consultant.Yet, the $1,000 consultant might say the same thing as the $10 consultant - but you value it at least 100x as much.
Price => Value => Commitment
Why? Simply because by paying upfront $1,000 you would commit 100x as much of your awareness and focus on getting as much as possible out of that coaching session.
Now does that mean, that I should charge you $1,000 for my upcoming articles? Well, I guess that would drive most of you away - but if I would be left with 1 or 2 people I know that those would have radical breakthroughs in their life within a short period of time (or that they already had so much money, that they couldn’t care less for that 1 grant - but I would love them anyway *lol*). But I would, unfortunately, lose also those people, who couldn’t afford that kind of money at this time. So trust me, it is not about the money here.
What Could You Invest?
I am not speaking about paying $ 1,000 here, I am speaking about value investing. Yes, you could invest US-$ 1,000, but what else could you invest. How about your time, your effort, your focus. That’s what I am talking about.
What if you would decide that you would select one piece of information per month and made the decision to invest $1,000 - either in currency or in efforts of applying it. Would that change your mindset.
How Much Is Your Awareness and Focus Worth?
Now how much is an hour of your focus currently worth? Well just calculate how much you get paid at your job. Divide your monthly gross (or net if you are brave) income by 160 or how many hours you work per month. There you have it. You might say that‘s not true - but let‘s start with that figure because you currently might sell 8 hours of your focus and (physical) presence by that rate.
What if you decided to commit that many hours for a month that equals $1,000? Would that be different than you reading lots of articles, saying inside “Great content, and then move on to the next.
Why I Like to Pay for Software and Information
And what I am saying doesn‘t only relate to knowledge - it also relates to products. I‘ve seen people shying away from great software just because they needed to invest $20 or $50, just because the producer of that software was charging something. And that is especially true for people who are collecting software, ebooks, music just for the sake of having it. Now I am a geek myself constantly downloading & testing out great software - but I rarely look at the price tag upfront. What I do ask myself, how much could this software (or knowledge) help me free up my time, do things more efficient? And since I value my time and focus highly, I started not only raising my rates but I also am willing to pay good money for things that help me save my time and focus for other things.
The Psychological Danger of Being Cheap
I found out that people who are obsessed with hunting for free stuff also tend to value their own worth very little. They come from a scarcity mindset where there is not enough to give to others, so they are craving for free.
And the marketing industry knows about it - and uses the word „free“ to get you used to something where you have to pay later once you get used to it or want an upgrade. Bizarre concept - but it works.
How Paying Can Increase Your Self-Esteem
However, if you are willing to pay for things and knowledge, you are at the same time acknowledging the fact, that you have the power to do so. You are acknowledging the value of the product and might use it much better in your life. Since I am not about bargain-hunting I never needed to fight other people who wanted to bargain me.
If you value other things, honor them and commit the necessary focus, time and money investment - you value yourself
