Why We Spend a Surprising Amount of Money Running Away from Ourselves

By Regine Rauin | When Spaces Tell Stories

 

Human beings have an extraordinary talent.

We can look incredibly busy...

...while avoiding the one thing we already know could change our lives.

We tidy the cellar.

Sort the wardrobe.

Clean the fridge.

Book a spa weekend.

Pop into a discount shop because everything is "only a few pounds."

And before we know it, we've spent hundreds...

...just not on the one thing we've been quietly avoiding for months.

Funny, isn't it?

We happily spend money on distraction.

Yet we hesitate when it comes to investing in the one moment that might genuinely change something.

 

The Most Expensive Price Is Often the One We Never Notice

£387.

For some people, that's the exact moment they stop reading.

"That's a lot of money."

And honestly?

I completely understand that.

What I don't understand is something else entirely.

The very same people will think nothing of booking a long weekend away.

A spa break.

A shopping trip.

Or wandering around a bargain store where every purchase seems harmless because it's "only a few pounds."

Until all those tiny purchases quietly add up to exactly the same amount.

The difference?

When you come home...

...the box in the cellar is still there.

The conversation you've been avoiding is still waiting.

That one decision hasn't moved an inch.

You may have returned wonderfully relaxed.

But nothing has really changed.

 

When Cheap Becomes Surprisingly Expensive

These days, there seems to be a course for everything.

£19.

£29.

£49.

Compared to those prices, EAT THE FROG probably does seem expensive at first glance.

But let's look at it differently.

Imagine I didn't run EAT THE FROG for seven people.

Imagine I opened it up to seventy.

Suddenly, I could charge roughly a tenth of the price.

Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?

Well...

...almost.

Because something else would shrink at exactly the same time.

My attention.

My time.

My ability to really understand your story.

And perhaps that's one of the biggest misunderstandings of modern life.

We've become incredibly good at comparing prices.

But we've almost forgotten how to value attention.

 

It's Surprisingly Easy to Hide in a Crowd

In fact, I sometimes wonder whether that's exactly why so many people prefer huge online courses and mass events.

Not because they learn more.

Because they can disappear.

They listen to other people's stories.

Borrow other people's solutions.

Take a few notes.

Smile politely.

And leave feeling as though they've done something useful...

...without ever having to let anyone look too closely at their own life.

It feels safe.

Comfortable.

Almost productive.

But the real issue?

It's still waiting patiently.

Exactly where it was before.

 

The Door Nobody Wants to Open

One of the things that still fascinates me most as a WohnungsReader is this.

I walk into someone's home.

Everything looks beautiful.

Tasteful.

Carefully put together.

And every now and then I catch myself wondering:

"Why did they invite me here?"

Everything seems perfectly fine.

Until...

almost as an afterthought...

someone says:

"Oh... there's one room we probably don't need to look at."

Or:

"The cellar is a bit embarrassing."

Or simply:

"Let's leave that door closed."

And that's usually the exact moment the real WohnungsReading begins.

Not in the living room.

Not in the beautifully designed kitchen.

But behind the one door that's been quietly waiting for years.

Not because it's messy.

Because there's a story living there.

 

The Greatest Relief Rarely Comes After the Smallest Task

That's exactly why my workshop is called EAT THE FROG.

Not because we're going to spend five days organising cupboards.

And certainly not because we'll be ticking off endless to-do lists.

We're there for something entirely different.

We're there to face the one thing you've perhaps been elegantly walking around for months...

...or even years.

That one box.

That one conversation.

That one decision.

That one relationship.

That one room.

That one sentence you've never quite managed to say.

That one goodbye.

Or perhaps...

...that one beginning.

Because I've noticed something rather curious.

The greatest relief rarely follows the smallest task.

It almost always follows the one we've been avoiding the longest.

 

Perhaps It Was Never Really About Time

People often tell me they don't have time.

Or that now simply isn't the right moment.

And perhaps that's true.

Sometimes life really does get in the way.

But sometimes...

I wonder whether time is simply the explanation we choose because it feels kinder than the truth.

Perhaps it isn't time we're protecting.

Perhaps it's ourselves.

Because the moment we finally stop running...

...things begin to change.

And change, however much we long for it, has consequences.

That's exactly why we keep polishing around the edges.

We reorganise.

Research.

Read another book.

Watch another video.

Sign up for another inexpensive course.

Anything...

...except walking through the one door we've been quietly avoiding.

 

Some Stories Refuse to Stay Behind Closed Doors

One thing I've learned from years of reading homes is this:

Nothing stays hidden forever.

Not in a house.

Not in a relationship.

Not in ourselves.

The stories we refuse to look at have a remarkable way of finding other ways to speak.

Sometimes through clutter.

Sometimes through exhaustion.

Sometimes through that strange feeling that something simply doesn't feel right anymore.

People often think their homes are trying to tell them what's wrong.

I don't think that's true.

I think our homes are patiently trying to remind us of something we've known all along.

 

I'm Not Going to Chase You

On 8 August, EAT THE FROG begins.

Seven people.

Not seventy.

Seven.

Because I'd much rather truly see seven people than barely notice seventy.

And no...

I'm not going to post countdown timers.

I'm not going to tell you there are "only three places left."

I'm not going to chase you.

Not because I don't care.

Quite the opposite.

Because I believe the very first step is the only one nobody else can take for you.

If I have to persuade you to make it...

...then you're not really taking it at all.

 

Some Doors Can Only Be Opened from the Inside

Perhaps you've known exactly what your frog is while reading this.

Perhaps you haven't.

Both are perfectly fine.

But if there was one sentence that made you stop for a moment...

...one paragraph that felt just a little uncomfortable...

...I'd pay attention to that.

Sometimes discomfort isn't a warning.

Sometimes...

...it's simply the sound of a door quietly unlocking.

🗝️

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About the Author

I'm Regine Rauin, also known as Mystic Maveress.

I read rooms the way other people read tarot cards.

→ WohnungsReading: What Your Home Is Really Trying to Tell You

Because some of the answers you're looking for are already living with you. 🗝️