It's normal to struggle when you're doing it alone ⛺
I recently watched the reality show “Alone”, which places 10 wilderness survival experts in the Canadian Arctic Circle, each on their own, with just 10 tools and recording equipment. The guise of the show is that the participants can “call to tap out” at any time, and they're out of the game. The last one to tap out is declared the winner with a $500k cash prize. 🏆 I was gripped by each participant's ingenuity, personality, good luck, and bad luck. 💔🍀
And it got me thinking a lot about how and why we prize individualism. 🤔
Have you seen “Alone”?
As the episodes roll along, we witness the heartbreaking call the survival experts make as they “tap out” one by one. Most due to lack of food, and a few due to illness. One person was only in it for the prize money to pay for his son's therapy. The suffering and starvation increase to a point I was really troubled watching it . 😥 What are we watching here? Modern-day Hunger Games?
About halfway through, it's so clear that surviving a harsh environment alone is simply not how humans are wired. How much easier, and less TV-dramatic, it would be if they could have cooperated ? Each bringing their amazing skills and helping each other in hard times. They would have done great. But it wouldn't make very good television if there were no winners or losers. 🏆🤝
Lessons from Alone I'm applying to money healing work:
It's tiring to try to survive in a harsh environment (aka this economy) completely alone and isolated. 😩
Skill is a factor, but LUCK has a huge part to play in survival. 🍀
Each of us has remarkable skills and styles.🎨 There's no one right way to do things.
Store your food while the weather is good (metaphor for savings when income is high or you get unexpected money).
Build strong shelters (metaphor for financial boundaries and legal documents).
Flexibility is one of the most important survival traits. When the weather (or economy) changes, re-assess. 🔄
Both wilderness survival and money management are more about day-by-day tending and less about big moves. 💸
What works for you works for you. There aren't strict universals. Many options can work. There's a lot of trial and error, even for the “experts”. 🎯
When we have genuine human connection, our mental and physical health is stronger. Even for us introverts.💪
If you think you have to figure it out on your own and not share your struggle, you may burnout.
The first contestant to tap out seemed to have the best skills and wisdom of all of them 🌟. I banked on him winning. But he was placed in a location without a strong fish population. He simply couldn't get enough food to survive. This same thing plays out in economic inequality. Some of my clients see their money struggles as evidence of their lack of skills, but then explore the fact that the skills are there; the environment just isn't good for fishing. So let's learn different skills and/or let's change environment . 🌍
Are you overspending or are you underearning? 💸This is a common question we explore in the Money Healing Club.💰💡
In the show, the environmental advantage is clear: those with better fish access are doing much better. It's unearned privilege illustrated quite starkly.
American culture really prizes individualism. 🇺🇸 And this show really cranks up the “tough cowboy” narrative, which I find problematic. The narrative folds in on itself when we see the unnecessary suffering that rugged individualism leads to. 🥀
In both wilderness survival and money healing work, you can only go so far on your own. 🌄
And I don't think this is about how much you need alone time. 🕒 I score 50/50 on the introvert/extrovert scale on Myers-Briggs. I definitely need alone time to recharge, but I can only take that time because my family and community have my back. 👨👩👧👦 And I have theirs. 🤝 And when I'm struggling, there's nothing better than processing it in the loving presence of another person. Your suffering is not a burden. 💖
In “Alone,” at some point, 9 of the 10 participants “tap out,” call the producers, and get picked up. 🚁 It's always a mixed experience, one of regret and grief, as well as deep relief to get help. 😔
Is it time for you to tap out on doing money on your own? 💵 If you’re ready, now’s the perfect time to join the Money Healing Club to build your financial resilience with the support you deserve. 🔥