Money, exchange and a story big enough
How do we create systems of economy that strengthen the relational field enough to change a culture?
Money.
What arises in our bodies when we have conversations around this topic?
How do you view or experience money? What judgements, beliefs, stories do you have around this part of the exchange process between humans? What is the relationship between money and our ecological systems, of which we are one part? Describe the history of money in your family? What comes up when you do (tip…go slowly or notice if you rush through it)
Over the last few years I have been exploring money as a practice. Paying attention to my embodied response to finding a value of exchange for delivering outward services that benefit others. I/we have developed a framework within which I/we can open up a dialogue around this, as a way of speaking to and sensing into the field of exchange.
The frame which helped me disentangle some of my own uncomfortable feelings around being a freelance facilitator with a flexible day rate is to explore a money and time exchange through the lenses of:
Gift Economy - I/we give our time and skills with no immediate, apparent exchange in place. I/we do this willingly and will name when it becomes clear this no longer works because of other commitments and we will leave the agreement with gratitude for each other.
Shared Economy - We share in the cost and value of the exchange. You may pay a portion of the financial commitment and I/we also invest some of our value and time into the work we will do together. This way of working acknowledges the value we have of our skills and time, and your system’s ability to financially transact with that valuation.
Appropriate Economy - This is an appropriate financial reflection of the time, investment, skill, responsibilities, and money required to live a generative life.
Abundance Economy - There is enough money in the system to contribute to a higher financial exchange. This contribution creates a profit which enables further learning, future gift economy possibilities, pension contributions, a little bit of frivolous spending and holidays.
During a ten year period the value of each of these brackets has shifted from between £0-£250.00 to £0-£1500.00 per day. My hourly bracket for work has gone from £0-£20 per to £0-£200 per hour.
On one level this is about experience and skill. I have invested a significant amount of money and time in training and development, particularly over the last 10 years and I know what the value is of the work I deliver. It is also connected with who I work with now, the people around me, their skills and systems of power and money. However it is also about knowledge and understanding around money, a feeling and an aura of presence in and around financial exchange.
The financial value you put on your time reflects an internal state of being, an external system value of those you are in an exchange process with and the comfort of those who are in these systems.
Below are some patterns that I have noticed from the UK based and International clients I have worked with.
Social enterprise(s) or charities are under pressure from the system to save money, invest it in more opportunities for their services and often pay their staff and team members in a shared economy model. We pay you and you invest your time in positive social/environmental outcomes and we either acknowledge or not the imbalance in the exchange for some. Salaries/day rates do not generally reflect the true cost of living. This is also not always the case as some charities have abundant financial support.
Institutions have pay brackets which acknowledge time served, academic achievement, management level and value to the system based on government(s) or other big systems which fund them. Value here is tied to a thought out budget and provision of service or event(s). Salaries/day rates here are often in the realm of appropriate economy.
Companies and corporations work on the basis of talent acquisition, profit, shareholders, and value - is what you are offering going to increase profits or reduce outgoings? Does it help us achieve our value and increase the potential of what we offer in the world? Will we learn something about ourselves that takes us into a greater collective coherence with our purpose? Salaries and day rates reflect a mixture of shared, appropriate and abundant economy, depending on your place within the system or the level of leadership you are working with.
As you read these noticing’s (which are just descriptions and reflections) what do you notice in your body? Do you sense connection, disconnection, acknowledgement, anger, or some other feeling or set of multiple feelings?
A lot of our exchange processes everyday are ingrained. Some involve money, every exchange involves time. We don’t have often slow enough to notice, reflect on and articulate in a safe place how we feel about our current situations.
There are more layers to this money and exchange conversation which I will write about in another article. This is a good starting point to reflect on where you are and how you feel about the system(s) you are a part of? What do you notice in your body and in the bodies of those around you? What kind of conversation is needed in your work place right now? If you are in an abundant economy, how are the people paid who are delivering key services at the lower end of your pay scale right now?
System change begins with awareness and listening.