In my last newsletter I promised to tell you about the 3 day “Mountain Moving Mindset” seminar I attended. Well, it was fab, hugely rewarding for many reasons. One reason is you get to network with great people. Another reason is because it allows time to work on my business (rather than in). But the most rewarding reason was that this event was different – really it was about me, my values, my motivations etc.
Day Two we were asked to write down “what motivates you to do what you do”. And while many people are really clear about this, I’d never really felt sure “my why” was strong enough, or “good enough”. I mean we all have memories, stories, things that have happened in the past. However, at this Mountain Moving Mindset event something did come up when I was asked to think of “my why”.
Are You Good Enough?
School.
Think – supportive teachers, encouraging environment, perform to your best. Well maybe in today’s schools, but when I was in school, it wasn’t like that.
I had always been interested in doing secretarial work (well put it this way, no one had suggested anything more interesting), and when I was 16, I realised that working abroad was probably where I was destined to work (it was 1985, for those of you to young to remember, Ireland was in was recession – deep recession). Not that I minded, travelling I mean. I have always loved travel so it was not a chore to choose emigration.
Well I found out about a bilingual secretarial course that practically guaranteed work in either Paris or Brussels, so long as I had some French. Not a problem as I had studied French for a number of years. Except that it was supposed to be honours French and I had was only doing Ordinary Level (when you think about it, it’s such an awful name, Ordinary Level).
So I approached the teacher of Honours French and said, I wanted to do her class. After much effort, badgering and even sitting an exam to prove I was able, she finally “let me join”. Yay, huge excitement. I’d be able to do the bilingual course, and go to Europe etc. Yipee!
Only I came up against a problem. I did join the class. But you see at the end of the day, the teacher didn’t have faith in me. In fact I ended up feeling more of a nuisance. She’d already decided that I wasn’t good enough, and she certainly wasn’t going to support, encourage or do anything extra to ensure I reached my dream of working abroad. I sat in that class and she ignored me.
Now, why am I telling you this? I’ve been a holistic instructor for many years, and I’ve always bent over backwards to help any of my students I could see who were struggling, because I knew what that felt like. It is why I set up ClientAttractingSecrets because I want to help practitioners who are struggling. Not because they aren’t good enough, but because they’ve never been taught!
But at the Mountain Moving Mindset even I got in touch with that feeling, that feeling of being ignored and that teacher’s opinion of me that I wasn’t good enough. And that’s what I hadn’t realised, that my French teacher’s opinion of me, while it hadn’t stopped me with my dreams, a bit of me was still affected.
You see I found a way to get on that secretarial course (even with Ordinary Level). And once there with support and encouragement (probably for the first time in my life) did well in my studies I was selected to be one of the first ten graduates awarded a contract in Brussels.
So what’s the lesson in this for you and me. Because as holistic practitioners, I realise we’ve chosen a profession that others may have a low opinion of, that others may ridicule, or make fun of.
Think about it: doctors, scientists, even our families, friends, and those closest to us often don’t understand what it is we do; don’t value what we do. And, valuing what you do is a powerful force. And I felt the whole impact of that last weekend.
And, it helped me get clarity on why I am motivated to do what I do, and so I decided to tell you! And to assure you that if you let me I can be your greatest supporter. I know that you can achieve your true potential with just a little bit of support, encouragement and determination.
Because I know you are more than “good enough” at what you do.
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And I thought you might like this:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
By Marianne Williamson, author of “A Return to Love”
ACTION STEP
Have you thought about “why you do what you do”? Where do you want to be? What is your vision, your big picture. By commiting some time to think about this will help you to know what your next goals are, what action you need to take.
Make a list of what motivates you – not just the “big” things, but the small daily things, as that will help you to have fun and enjoy the ride 
