The Search for Inner Peace

I have two seemingly unrelated side hustles. One, as I’ve discussed many times, is working with you lovely folks as a financial coach. The other is working at a gym as a Krav Maga instructor. I have done this for the past several years and mostly am not doing it to make money, but just to offset my own costs of training. These two endeavors appear to be unrelated, but I’ve learned that both serve the same purpose. Let me explain…

What is Krav Maga?

First off, Krav Maga is an Israeli military style of self defense. It combines techniques from karate, muay thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu, aikido and wrestling. Krav Maga takes the most practical pieces from all of these martial arts to create a very practical and effective self defense fighting system. The symbol of Krav Maga is the two Hebrew letters “kof” and “mem”, meaning “close combat” intertwined in a circle. The circle is open on both the top and bottom to allow good ideas to flow in and the bad to flow out.

The creator of Krav Maga, Imi Lichtenfeld, is a man of humble beginnings. Born in Hungary in the pre-Nazi era, he used skills taught to him by his father to protect his Jewish friends and neighbors from Nazi invaders. In 1940, a warrant was issued for his arrest for this behavior, forcing him to leave the country. After years of travel, he found himself in Israel and joined the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), at the time called the Haganah, where he unofficially trained his fellow soldiers in self defense techniques. Upon creation of Israel and the IDF in 1948, Imi was asked to create a hand to hand combat system for their forces. Thus Krav Maga was born.

Okay, How does this relate to Finance?

This side hustle started as a way just to not have to spend $1,400/year on my Krav Maga training. It has turned out to have saved me several thousands of dollars in additional instructor training costs on top of the gym membership that have been supplemented by my gym. However, this is by far the least important of benefits that I have gained from learning these skills.

I believe that to live a good life, a balance must be struck between both sides of the equation, being mental and physical health. Training in Krav Maga helps to strike balance on both sides of this equation. Not only does this give me a great outlet for physical exercise, but it provides a sense of physical security that allows me to relieve myself of that worry. A famous quote from Imi Lichtenfeld sums this up perfectly. He was asked why he created Krav Maga and what his vision was for it. His answer was simple:

…So that one may walk in peace.

Imi Lichtenfeld, founder of Krav Maga

After training one day, I was chatting with my lead instructor about some of the black belt practitioners and instructors in our system. We noted how they seem to have such an easy air about them as if they didn’t have a care in the world. This is the personification of what Imi meant. Allowing for one to move through life with a sense of calm and confidence. I am not there yet, but that is what I strive to give myself and my students. This is also how I view financial coaching. Having security in my finances relieves me of worries about a sense of security for myself and my family. This is the feeling that I strive to help my clients build within themselves.

Financial Inner Peace

After becoming debt free, a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Our monthly expenses have always been low, but to know that even if either of us were to lose our jobs we would be more than fine is the best gift we could have given ourselves. Money had become an obstacle for my parents to overcome and they’re still not out of the woods yet. Knowing that my family will never be put in a similar situation allows me the freedom to pursue other endeavors, like this coaching business.

So, this leads to the big questions. What would you do differently if you didn’t have to worry about your finances? What’s standing in your way? How can you find your financial inner peace?

What are your thoughts on balancing your physical and mental health? What have you found that works for you? Most importantly, what would you do if you had security in your finances? Let me know in the comments below!