I must say, up front, that the title of this post is both the truth and a lie. I will get to that later in the story.
Having spent a few years as a massage therapist and many years as a healing practitioner I met a lot of healers with financial struggles. Yet, they received more massages per month than the average person. From each other. See what I am getting at? Bartering can be a wonderful system when it is used properly. Often it is not. So many people trade their services and products without overcoming their financial struggles. We are a money based society and the harsh reality is that until that changes, the vast majority of us do need to generate income in the form of money. Is there room for bartering? Of course, as long as it does not conflict with meeting our financial obligations.
How can we know if a trade is productive? One simple question will answer that for you; "Would I pay the money for this service/item?" When I would meet someone who would get 4 to 6 massages a month (I'm not kidding!) through bartering I would ask if they would pay for that many sessions if they were not a practitioner themselves. The answer was always "no" couched in laughter. This is where bartering goes wrong. If someone offers to trade you their handmade patchwork quilt for a massage or a haircut it is worth doing IF you were already in the market for a new quilt. If you do not need that quilt then it is not a productive barter. As a practitioner or maker of things, if most of your output is going to trades and you have bills to pay you risk sending a mixed message to the Universe AND you are eating away at time that could be spent generating funds to go toward your bills. Balance is key.
I began this entry by saying the title was both the truth and a lie. I intended to write this post several months ago. What held me back was that I said YES to not one offer to trade, but THREE offers to trade! The irony! This is what they looked like:
A friend shared her bronze castings on FB. I fell in love with one of them and asked her if I could buy it and the price. She responded by telling me she had been eyeing a necklace on my website and asked if I would trade. Bingo!
I had been contemplating asking a friend on FB for prices on his drawings. After admiring his art for a long time I decided to treat myself. Before I could initiate the convo with him he messaged me asking about a necklace he liked on my website. He knew I loved his art and asked if I would be up for a trade. My answer was yes because I had already made the decision to spend the money on his art.
Another friend who makes things initiated a trade that I said yes to. I had not been planning on purchasing a wand and shawl but I said yes because I asked myself, "If I happened upon these items in a store, spontaneous or not, would I purchase them and am I in a position to purchase them?"
People being compensated properly for their work is a subject I am passionate about. Sometimes compensation comes in the form of money and other times it comes in the form of things. They key is balance, awareness, and equally important, being willing to say, "No. I do not want to trade" when that is the appropriate answer for you and the situation.