I’ve recently completed Rachel Rodgers’ “$10K in 10 Days” challenge. She shares the concept at the end of her book We Should All Be Millionaires, which I highly recommend reading.
I had planned to do the challenge earlier. I finished the book over a weekend in mid-April, and decided to start that Monday. Instead, I woke up with lower-back pain that laid me low for several days, and took about a month to heal. I hadn’t done anything particular that I’d noticed to cause the injury, but it definitely got my attention!
The timing of my mystery back injury wasn’t a coincidence. The challenge itself has been hugely triggering to my old patterns and shadow selves. I healed the back pain with the help of yoga, Quester’s inversion table, and rest – and also shadow work.
I decided to delay the challenge, and enlisted a couple of my biz sisters to join me. We got started on May 9th, and the first couple of days went rather well.
On day 3, I woke up feeling anxious and stressed. I wasn’t able to finish my morning yoga session. I got into child’s pose and just cried. Later, during a group coaching call, one of my biz sisters said that tears are the body’s way of releasing past trauma. She told me to go ahead and cry, because it means that my body now feels safe.
Another biz sister suggested that I offer my Parallel PlayDates as an annual subscription during the challenge. I loved that idea, and started a “flash sale,” something I’ve never done before.
The middle part of the challenge went along fine. I got some signups from my flash sale. I was talking with various people about my summer retreat and other offerings. I hosted my May virtual retreat and loved seeing all the writers get results, have new insights and epiphanies, and appreciate the container. I truly love being a writing coach!
The tail end of the challenge happened to coincide with the due date for a large business expense. A couple of days out, I didn’t (yet) have all the money I needed to pay it. At Quester’s urging, I tallied up what I did have, and the income expected before the deadline. I was closer than I’d thought. We talked, and Quester said if need be, I could borrow the money from our household funds to make the large payment.
The evening before my deadline, I hadn’t received some expected payments, and a prospective client hadn’t gotten back to me with an answer as promised. I was talking with Quester in the car about it, and I ended up having a complete meltdown. It sucked. I couldn’t stop crying.
When we got home, I just collapsed on the floor and watched cute animal videos, then went to bed. I was so upset. Clearly, this was about more than the deadline – which I was going to meet anyway.
The next day I outed myself in my biz coach’s retreat. I told everyone that I’d had a tantrum about money. I was feeling like a failure because I had to borrow funds from household. They were kind and supportive. The consensus was that a tantrum or crying session was a great way to release old toxins. I was still sort of embarrassed about it, but I did feel lighter.
I was ready to make what I called “the walk of shame to the credit union” at lunchtime to borrow the necessary funds. However, by mid-morning, someone had signed up for my summer retreat and paid more than half the cost, thus allowing me to pay my large bill on time, with money from my biz. Win!
Instead of that credit union walk of shame, Quester took me out for lunch. It was a lovely day, so we ate outside at one of our favorite local spots, overlooking the Saco River.
By the time the challenge ended, I’d made $7299., including banked money and “booked” services (for which I’d receive payments later). Not bad at all for my first time!
The money is a wonderful help, especially with lots of extra expenses this month for my business. But truly, the best part is that I’m uncovering and releasing more of my old blockages and beliefs around money.
Perhaps that’s the point of these types of challenges. It’s to show us that we can do something we might have thought impossible, as well as to illustrate exactly where we’re getting in our own way.
A biz sister who had done the challenge before remarked that she too had been triggered heavily that first time. I thanked her for sharing that and noted that this implied I should do it again. Challenge accepted!
In fact, the Universe obliged immediately. My favorite LOA coach, Jeannette Maw, is doing a 7-day challenge called the 7-Day Money Manifester, starting soon. You know I signed up. I wonder if I can do this one without the meltdown….
