Have you heard this buzzword?
It’s the idea that subtle forces beyond our awareness are at work that force us into more work and less pleasure. I’m not sure if that’s what I experience exactly. But when the pandemic happened and it forced me to close down my business, as I re-opened, I wanted to be super intentional. I had a conversation with a long time client about what I like to call the De-evolution and rebuild of my business.
I had employees, a 2k+ square foot place with 4 treatment rooms and a teaching studio. The dream, right? Sure. I’d love a lot of different things than I currently have. Mostly, I’d like a bigger teaching space. But that will come again, when the time is right. <Whoah. I just caught myself in that thought noticing that I’m rethinking my relationship to my work.> I want a teaching space because I love to teach, not because I’m chasing the dream of being bigger etc.
I’ve had to do a lot of sitting with myself and my thoughts about that very thing. What do I actually want to contribute in the world?
For awhile, I followed business coaches, advice, professionals, books, podcasts, etc on how to run a successful wellness business. Sure, there are a lot of ways to do it. But everyone loves an underdog story. And everyone loves to see someone succeed.
It’s harder when you want to celebrate not striving.
Which is weird, right? Isn’t that what our industry is all about? Creating spaces for people to relax, restore, and feel their best? Yet, we’re victims of the more & bigger narrative that just floats around our consciousness freely.
And we still have to pay bills and show up for our friends and family.
Listen, I’m not saying that I’m excelling at this. But I am saying that it feels a lot better for me (& my brain) to spread out rather than grow bigger. Grow bigger=that capitalist more and biggering notion.
Maybe contentment is worth striving for. That’s where I am currently. And it feels so good. I want more of this for you as well.
What if you woke up *most* days and said, “What does my energy level say I need to do today?”
And you followed the natural rhythm of your body or the moon or the Universe or whatever speaks to you. I think it’s innate in us to drive toward contribution. But we have disguised contribution as production. What if it were possible for you to find your rhythm while contributing but not over taxing your body and brain?
I am asking myself, how do I support my fellow bodyworkers?
I’d like to know, how are you? What’s working for you? What could be better? Will you fill this out and contribute to my data collection?