Hello,
My name is Lou Redman and I am nervous to share what I'm going to share with you today,
To make something public that is really so personal.
We all have a wide range of beliefs and programs around money,
And you are about to project yours onto me.
So as you listen,
Notice what comes up,
Judgments,
Surprises,
Triggers,
Feel the energy in your body,
Get curious.
Money is such a rich access point to our personal growth.
And I encourage you before I start sharing to take some time and listen to the whole thing.
It has more context rather than fast forwarding if you're just curious as to how much this guy made in 2021.
So I shared with my dad how much I made in 2021 and my answer surprised him.
If you had told me in 2019,
It would have surprised me too.
Before I tell you,
Let me explain how I got here.
On January 6th,
2015,
I quit my corporate job to pursue my life purpose.
Initially I wasn't sure what it was,
But it soon led me into the realm of writing,
Speaking and meditation.
I spent two years attending Toastmasters groups and writing my book,
Find Your Truth.
When I finally published it,
I thought success and money would follow.
It didn't.
In 2016,
I did what any successful author does.
I moved back in with my parents.
It's now early 2017.
In addition to a few thousand dollars from book sales,
I made an average of $25 a week in donations from a local meditation meetup.
Besides that,
I was fortunate to have a side job that gave me solid bursts of cash and supported me throughout this time.
That's a story for another share.
In March 2017,
A month after my book was published,
I hit a low.
I thought,
What the F do I do now?
I quit my job,
Spent two years writing a book and have nothing to show for it.
I wasn't making it nor saw how I could earn a living.
I was stuck and I didn't know where to turn.
The only thing that gave me hope was receiving a scholarship for a yoga teacher training.
That June,
I hit a breaking point.
My girlfriend came home seeing me crying and lamenting that I couldn't go on feeling so lost.
That very next day,
The universe put someone in my path that would be a guiding force for the next two years.
At a friend's gathering,
I met a woman who had become my life coach and lift me out of the darkness.
She restored my faith and gave me the guidance to move forward.
And so it begins.
In 2017,
I made $2,
955 doing the work my Instagram bio said I did.
This money was a culmination of three years of work,
Thought and energy.
Three years to make three grand.
Worth it?
I have a course called develop unshakable confidence that attempts to instill in you the belief I had.
Even though I wasn't making it,
I kept faith in my vision.
I knew it was there.
I just had to keep walking.
And while it was frightening,
It was also exhilarating.
Living your life purpose is so much more than making money.
Money simply allows us to keep playing.
I wasn't making it,
But I woke up in alignment with my soul's calling.
It's scary,
But incredibly rewarding.
I can't emphasize enough that I wouldn't be here without the one-on-one support throughout this time.
I saw my coach weekly,
Which inspired me with passion and direction.
She gave me the idea to start reaching out to schools,
Which led me to a breakthrough I had in 2018.
I talk more in depth about this breakthrough in my track,
Saying no to $10,
000.
Although it took hundreds of emails,
I landed a gig training teachers on mindfulness and yoga.
This job brought in $2,
200 in four weeks.
I was ecstatic.
This opportunity gave me the vision to see how I could make a sustainable living.
In 2018,
I also started posting more regularly on Insight Timer.
Although I wasn't getting paid,
I was getting so much more in return,
And I had a gut feeling that something big was growing.
I was also teaching at a beautiful meditation studio and offering regular yoga classes.
In 2018,
I made $10,
637.
Not enough to support me,
But hey,
Moving in the right direction.
In 2018,
I launched a course which led to income that I'm still making to this day.
Then,
After getting my school mindfulness work off the ground,
More opportunities came.
Also,
Towards the end of that year,
I started coaching people one on one.
In 2019,
I made $38,
856.
Enough to pay my bills and support me in what I wanted to do.
Do you understand what happened?
I made it.
Seriously,
This was it.
To me,
Making it was paying my bills,
Doing what I loved.
$38,
000 accomplished that.
It took four years of consistent effort.
But damn,
I did it.
I arrived.
Hallelujah.
It was a big milestone,
But really,
We never arrive.
Back to work.
In 2020,
My school work started with a bang and then fell off with COVID.
During that time,
My coaching practice blossomed,
And by adding another course,
I made $57,
910.
Another solid burst in the right direction.
Then,
In 2021,
Things really took off.
More coaching,
More opportunities,
More school work,
More impact.
Ready for it?
I made $106,
489.
Six figures.
Holy moly,
It still shocks me to even say it.
What's crazy is that in 2021,
I made a financial goal to make 150K.
It was a huge stretch,
But I broke down my various offers and wrote my goal for each one.
I then calculated how I would get there.
For example,
If my goal was to make $60,
000 in one-on-one coaching,
I needed to enroll X many clients at Y price per month.
This is manifestation 101.
Write down your goal and give yourself practical steps to get there.
Your subconscious can then start working on it.
I'm weary of being so transparent and sharing these figures with you,
But I think it's important.
You probably won't make a living the first year doing what you love.
However,
If you have a strong vision and stay in the game,
You will get there.
Keep pivoting and trying new things.
It's hard.
I get it,
But it's really that simple.
Keep going.
It took me four years to quote unquote make it,
But you can be smarter than me.
It takes time,
Effort,
And love,
But I'm showing you it's possible.
And this is a big but.
It's important for you to understand how I got here and what made 2021 different.
What's not written in these numbers is how much I invested in myself.
Ready for it?
In 2017,
I invested $2,
200 in one-on-one coaching and $1,
559 in programs and workshops.
That's more than I made.
In 2018,
I invested $3,
570 in one-on-one coaching and 2,
865 in retreats,
Workshops,
And programs.
In 2019,
I invested a total of 6,
177 in coaching and programs,
And in 2020,
I invested about 8,
500.
Now,
In breakout 2021,
I invested $9,
200 in one-on-one coaching and $12,
678 on training,
Courses,
And programs.
That's $22,
000 on personal growth.
Kala Elrod says,
Your level of success is directly related to your level of personal development.
And if you were to see how these numbers broke down side by side,
You would see that.
It was clear.
The more I worked on myself and put the energy of money into myself,
The more that energy and that money was created for me in the work that I do.
Money shows our values.
The amounts that I'm sharing with you,
$22,
000 on personal growth,
That might seem insane.
I get it.
However,
Money is one of the clearest indicators of what we value.
Some value cars,
Clothes,
Houses.
I value transformation a lot.
Look at your bank statement and you'll see what's important to you,
Even if you might not like it.
Money is energy.
And what we put energy towards grows.
If you want to develop yourself,
Putting money there helps.
I understand there are bad actors and these can be murky waters as the self-help industry succeeds on people's vulnerabilities.
For me,
I found the training and coaches I worked with at the right time.
I also tried some programs that I wish I didn't.
The more important piece is taking action and regrouping when needed.
Although I may regret buying a course,
I don't believe the money is wasted.
Energetically,
It's still with the intention of growth.
I understand the ancient philosophy of offering spiritual guidance for free.
This is what allowed Insight Timer to thrive,
But even they couldn't sustain.
Dhanas,
Donations,
Is a big topic at Buddhist centers because that's how they survive.
Many times wealthy benefactors move the needle for these places.
I don't have one personally.
I offer hundreds of free meditations,
But I can't make a living on that.
You can't put a price on transformation.
What is living your purpose and feeling alive worth?
What is the value of healing old wounds and being more loving in your relationships?
Guess what?
It doesn't have one.
The money we invest in ourselves is intangible.
I paid $5,
400 for a four-month coaching container,
And the healing that took place in one session was worth the entire bill.
Healing can be pricey,
But after spending over $9,
000 on one-on-one coaching,
I never want to spend less.
I know that sounds crazy,
But there's an energetic shift that happens when we stay to the universe.
We are worth it.
A mantra I had for myself in 2021 was,
It's not expensive,
It's expansive.
You pay for your shelter,
Food,
And clothes because they're worth something.
Once we move up Maslow's hierarchy,
We can use our money in our path towards self-actualization.
As a mentor told me,
Every dollar you invest in yourself will come back times 10.
I can hear some say,
Lou,
This sounds selfish.
To that end,
I'll note that when we transform ourselves,
Our work ripples out to those we come across.
If you get any value from what I put out there,
It's because of the work I've done on myself.
Also,
What's not shown here are my donations,
Which is another practice in ComfortZone I stretched.
I worked a lot on my relationship with money,
And I watched it transform from being frugal and stingy to generous and expansive.
I learned a lot.
I talk more about my relationship to money and transforming scarcity to abundance in day nine of my course,
Essential Tools for Healing and Transformation.
You're worth it.
I hope you consider investing in yourself.
I'm not saying be dumb or do something that causes you harm.
Instead,
I'm inviting you to understand what you value and stretch yourself in those areas.
Money is a comfort zone to expand,
Just like any other area of life.
Instead of budgeting the same across the board,
Spend less in the places you don't value and spend more in the places that fulfill you.
I understand hiring a coach can be a lot.
That's why I've tried to offer free meditations.
I've tried to offer courses,
Programs,
Workshops that help you have an accessible point to doing your work.
With all of this work,
I found the more I paid,
The more I made it a priority and showed up for myself.
I've dedicated my life to supporting you to become the truest version of you.
Regardless of what income you have,
I have something for you.
If doing something like this is interesting,
Go check out my track,
How to Find Your Life's Purpose or my longer meditation,
Discovering Your Unique Gifts.
Those are free.
You can take my courses on here.
You could work with me one-on-one,
Of course.
But I just want to instill in you that whether you listen to my free tracks,
Whether you take my courses,
Or maybe if you're feeling called to work one-on-one,
Whatever the case,
I hope to instill in you that your gifts matter and your dreams are possible.
While it's taken me years,
I hope my journey can shorten the process for you and give you the peace,
Power,
And purpose you yearn for.
I'll end by restating how this path is really not about the money.
They're just numbers,
After all,
And we won't take it with us.
Although I made it,
Arrival is a myth.
The joy comes from working on ourselves and putting our energy towards something that's fulfilling.
The journey is the reward.
If you're not enjoying the process,
You won't get there.
Because the paradox is you're already there.
We have it all within.
Our work is about removing the layers that block us from knowing it.
Thank you so much for listening.
You have been a blessing.
You are a blessing in my life,
Whether you've listened to me before,
Whether this is your first time,
That I am so grateful that I get to wake up and I get to do this work and share these things with you.
I hope it helps.
I'm curious if some of it's triggering.
I understand there's a lot of work to be done around here.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts.
I send you such blessings,
Such abundance,
Such joy,
Such peace,
Such freedom in your life.
Thank you so much again for taking some time with me.
If you're not already,
Please take a moment to join my circle,
Maybe even start a conversation around this topic.
You can just search the Lou's Circle and you can stay in touch with different events and workshops and meditations that I release.
Sending you lots of love.
Namaste.
