“Why isn’t it free”? I often say this about things I get interested in. And I often offer things for free that others charge for. The free software foundation has had a huge impact on me: in terms of good software to use but also mindset about how to prosper even though you are not charging for software.
Richard Rudd has an excellent talk on Spirituality and Money.
As corrupt as the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness’s founder may be, John-Roger’s words about charging for spiritual products and services are accurate as well. I cant find his quote but it was to the effect of: “the information we are giving on spirituality is priceless – no price can be put on it… but the books and tapes we produce cost us money, so it only makes sense we charge you”.
Now, currently I’m facing some legal issues and want to consult with a resource I trust. How did this person gain my trust? By putting out tons of quality FREE material week after week for years. I’ve been following this person for YEARS for FREE and finally I will probably be paying $300 for an hour of consultation or $10,000 per year for the rest of my life for the material he has put out. Now, what if this person had become mad that I was not buying his services right after his first talk? That’s my current attitude towards Meetup. I paid $44/mo for over a year and have not built any following or community in my groups and so I quit paying in frustration and disgust.