Have I tried to pay my RENT with a HUG? YOU BET I DID!

11 years ago on 3rd Feb 2009 I got LAID OFF from my job as Vice President- Business Development, Sales and Marketing of a Real Estate Company in Chennai.. right in the middle of the world’s worst recession. I had Rs 25 odd lacs of debt staring in my face (credit cards and personal loans). A result of 15 years of stupid financial mistakes.

I was stubborn (and the whole world was upset with me because of that). I refused to take up another job. I wanted to follow my dream of becoming India’s first Life Coach. At that time nobody had heard of life coaching. Needless to add, I struggled financially even more.

Every month I used to send a Rs 22000 rent cheque to my landlord (a wonderful professor from IIT Madras) by local courier. Between 2009 and 2014 when I stayed in that house, my estimate is that about 75% of the time I DEFAULTED on paying the rent because I didn’t have enough money.

I still used to send a handwritten letter to my landlord every month. The letter was full of love..  (what I call word hugs). I used to APOLOGIZE to him for not including the rent cheque in the envelope. I used to request, beg and plead of him to not ask me to vacate the house. I used to thank him in advance for agreeing to my request and for being so generous.

I did this almost month after month for 5 years. At times there was up to 4 months rent backlog. My survival in the city depended on the power of my letters.. and my word hugs.

All I asked myself was “Is this letter touching, moving and inspiring? Is this letter a good replacement for a tight, warm hug? “. If not, I used to tear it up and write it again.

A thank you and a BIG HUG  to my landlord.

I did the same thing with all the credit card collection agents who used to call me or land up at my house to threaten me and demand credit card money. I used the language of L♡VE to get them to wait. Short of physically hugging them I did everything!

I made sure I paid them whenever I had money in hand. Over a period of time, many collection agents became my friends. Some became my fans. I consider this one of my greatest achievements in life.

Money is important. I LOVE money. Today by God’s grace I make enough money to feed my family. Yes I want more because I need more.

But I am not addicted to Money. I am addicted to LOVE (and warm hugs). Side-effects of my profession you can say. Occupational hazard! And any day it is better than my previous addiction to alcohol.

Is LOVE more important than MONEY? That’s ORDINARY thinking.
An EXTRAORDINARY life is one where you believe that you can have love AND you can have money.. you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.
And I choose to be Extraordinary.