Last evening, Chad and I were at a Winter Soltice holiday gathering (The precise moment of the 2007 solstice was
Image by spackletoe, via a Creative Commons license earlier today, Saturday, December 22, 1:08 A.M. EST, in case you were wondering).
I was talking with a woman with whom Chad works, who asked me what I was doing (in the way of work) that gives me joy and permits me to live my purpose at the same time (I might say that the two are one and the same…..or at least very intricately linked).
I do a few different things, but two years ago, I discovered life coaching and immediately knew that if there was such a thing as a calling, this one was it. I told her that I’m progressively doing less of those other things, and pursuing with more focus the coaching side of my business.
Coaching nurtures my spirit and permits me to inspire others to likewise discover and pursue that which nurtures them. As a business coach, I help people (specifically real estate agents and other progressive entrepreneurs) merge who they are and what they value with what they do for work.
Coaching and coaching skills are the catalyst that help people create money and meaning in their lives, all with less stress, more fun, and more fulfillment. This is my joy.
After explaining this to her, she (who has herself been seeking a way to do work that nurtures her, as well as provides a vehicle through which she can positively impact how others treat themselves, the Earth, and the environment) mentioned that friends and colleagues have been consistently commenting on how nonjudgmental and embracing of other people she is.
They have been telling her that she has a gift for deeply listening to people and really seeing what’s underneath and behind the words they say. Because of this natural ability, her friends have told her she would be a great life coach and should explore coaching as a possible line of work.
Her response was that she has been doing this all her life.
"It’s natural for me to help people, so why would I ever ask people to pay me for something that comes easy for me?"
Have you ever asked yourself a similar question?
If she really thought about what she had just said, I think she’d agree that it not only didn’t make any sense, but it also revealed a mentality of lack and feelings of unworthiness.
Why shouldn’t she be paid (and paid well) for providing a service that came easily for her?
It’s interesting how people seem to think that if what they’re doing isn’t difficult and hard and a struggle, it’s not of any value.
This truly is ridiculous. We don’t need any more martyrs.
We need people who wholly embrace their talents and what they love to do and incorporate that into what they do for work in the service of others. Work then becomes a joy, not a job.
Think about it. We have no problem paying a doctor — particularly a specialist — for what he enjoys doing and what comes naturally for him.
We don’t deny that a lawyer who is excellent at what she does and who finds joy in doing it that she should receive money in exchange for her services.
The same goes for firemen, city planners, laborers, artists, politicians, restauranteurs, mechanics and sports heros.
We gladly pay them because they enjoy what we don’t. They have talents and skills that we do not have…..nor do we necessarily want to have them.
"If you are a natural at coaching," I asked Chad’s co-worker, "and love helping people in this way, why wouldn’t you study and practice and hone those natural abilities and get paid for not only improving the quality of their lives but also nurturing your own spirit at the same time?"
Life is too short to struggle, especially on purpose, just to say at the end of the day, "We worked hard." In fact, if you’re struggling, your doing something incorrectly. At the very least, you are not following your joy.
Find what brings your joy, follow and pursue that joy, and find a way to get paid for it, and you’ll never "work" another day in your life — guaranteed.
