Minding the Boundaries of My Piece of Heaven

I let go of a student today. She was also someone on my forgiveness "stage" during this past weekend's exercise. K had not shown up to her appointments with me for the last three consecutive weeks and during my brief calls with her all she could say..

"Let's reschedule, I'll call you later." Later came and passed. I sat in my teaching studio minus my student another week. I left a message on her phone.

"K, I am a bit confused here. I am at the studio and you are not here. Perhaps you are on your way. Please call me." She did not return that call until three weeks later.

She showed up at my home today wishing to resume her lessons and then she wanted to discuss paying me less since she wasn't going to meet me at the studio.

And that is when I got that I had to let her go and that I was giving her her final lesson.

"K, it is true that I must be compensated with money for my time teaching but there is something more valuable than dollars here that needs to be valued and that is time. I teach because I am committed to growth not money. I only want committed students who communicate well with me and want the best for their own life and making sure I have such types of students makes it a pleasure to do what I love and my teaching practice is financially stable and prosperous. You, on the other hand, had shown yourself as questionably committed. I usually refuse to take unstable students and if they want a new chance with me, I don't let them dictate how much my time is worth to me."

And then she told me that I was a bad business person though a very good teacher and that I ought take her money because it was money.

And that's when I showed her the door and told her that she didn't owe me a single cent..

I gave her some options to think about. I don't know if she understood about respecting time and being committed. Perhaps she'll get that lesson down the road when she studies with another. I wished her well as I closed the door.

Am I a bad business person? I think if any of my other students were to witness the exchange, they would be understand. If I had more students like K, I wouldn't have the energy or enthusiasm to continue doing what I love and I would live a life of instablity chasing money in exchange ... for what?

I happily and peaceably had my goodbye with K. I dicate my worth and not someone else and it is up to me to mind my own boundaries to mind my personal piece of heaven.

JNET