Challenges Keep Life Interesting
Building a sustainable coaching practice has been one of the most rewarding, and challenging tasks of my life. It is part of my Soul’s Journey.
Challenges are probably the best gift we’re given to help us develop alignment with our Soul.
I guarantee that if we didn’t have challenges in our life to move through, we’d become so bored. 😐
Now, that’s not to say that a little boredom isn’t desirable at times. Oh how a transformative challenge can cause us to crave a period of boredom! 😃
As I’ve built my practice, the work of coaching and teaching feels natural to me, like I’m in my element and completely on purpose.
Nothing brings me more joy than when I’m facilitating one of my Solace gatherings, teaching a course, or witnessing a client step more and more deeply into her Empowered Self.
However, building a coaching practice involves so much more than simply getting to do what comes naturally. This is much like any aspect of the Soul’s journey.
There are things that we do well, that seem easy, and that we cannot wait to share with others on our path.
Perhaps these are natural gifts we brought with us into this lifetime. Perhaps these are things we’ve learned and can’t wait to express, practice or teach.
Yet there’s something within us that craves the challenges, longing to expand into more of our True Self and meet our edges of development.
Perhaps this is why we choose to become parents, build businesses, or travel to unfamiliar places. These are all powerful Soul pathways we might choose to grow and expand ourselves.
We Strive for What Is Rewarding
One of the ways building a coaching practice has challenged me, among many others, is in the realm of marketing. In my study of marketing, I came upon an advertisement that was said to have been one of the most effective examples of authentic marketing.
A gentleman named Ernest Shackleton was said to have placed the following ad in a newspaper, seeking men to join his expedition to the Arctic:
Apparently, Shackleton got far more expedition participants to apply than he needed. Somehow he managed to make a job that might otherwise seem completely unappealing sound like a most rewarding job for these men.
“Hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.”
Talk about a very honest approach to marketing!
Yet, why did so many sign up for something that seemed so harrowing?
It turns out that no one has ever been able to actually find this ad in any old newspaper archives. Yet this ad is still used in marketing teachings today to speak of the importance of getting to the point with authenticity.
Shackleton’s expedition was real, and indeed many men signed up. Perhaps while no paper ad was found, his verbal marketing was on this level of honesty, resulting in people still willing to join.
When I saw this ad, my immediate thought was, “Why would anyone sign up for this?”
The Harrowing Journey
And then I thought about what I offer in my work of midwifing the Soul’s Journey toward holistic empowerment.
Good grief! It’s the same thing!
- Hazardous Journey: Yep, diving to the depths of your Soul is not going to be without risk. In fact, there is SO much at risk…your relationships, your lower ego, your conditioned way of being, and likely more.
- Small Wages: Nobody’s going to pay you to do this work, at least not financially.
- Bitter Cold: Definitely. We experience the coldness of the many parts of our fragmented self falling away as we learn to reintegrate toward wholeness. We face the coldness of those around us who don’t like the changes we’re making. We step onto the frozen tundra of unknown territory as we venture out in new ways seeking new light and warmth of being. We might even feel the bitter cold of realizing what we’ve lost in our disconnected state before taking the journey.
- Long Months of Complete Darkness: Oh the many dark nights of the Soul we navigate through in order to find alignment and peace with our True Self on the Soul’s Journey!
- Constant Danger: Yep. It’s dangerous to speak the truth when we’ve never spoken up for ourselves, or upset the apple cart when everyone is used to our compliance, or take up the responsibility of success on our own terms. Who knows how others might react, and whether we’ll be able to remain stable in the process.
- Safe Return Doubtful: Totally! If you decide to truly commit to the alchemical process of Soul alignment, you won’t return to the same life of habits and unhealthy patterns or relationships you’ve known. Or if you attempt to, there will likely be tremendous pain that comes with it.
- Honor and Recognition in Case of Success: This is the BEST part. If you willingly and perseverantly commit to a journey of Soul alignment, glory (the splendor of Divinity within you) and a return to the True Essence of your being is yours. Most of all, freedom is yours!
Yet, as I looked at this from a marketing perspective for my business, I thought to myself again,
“Why would anyone sign up for this?!?!”
The Rewards of The Work
There’s a reason the Soul’s Journey is the most rewarding job, and the rewards are something each individual feels and experiences for themselves.
💃🏻 Perhaps they finally love their body after years of body shaming.
👩❤️💋👨 Perhaps their relationships feel incredibly fulfilling, and they finally feel on purpose in their work.
💡 Perhaps they feel a sense of confidence, clarity and intuitive knowing that’s beyond anything they’ve previously known.
🤗 Perhaps anxiety, depression, overwhelm, or exhaustion are no longer blocking them from their true path.
❤️ Perhaps their ability to love and be loved becomes common practice in their life.
What I do know is that signing up and committing to the journey to align with your Soul will bring you to a place of Inner Wisdom that guides your life from the inside out.
You’ll no longer feel the need to be told what to do or how to do it.
You’ll no longer seek approval or permission from others.
You’ll no longer struggle to set boundaries for yourself.
You’ll no longer have difficulty making decisions.
You’ll finally live life holistically empowered!
Will it happen overnight? Definitely NOT!
Making the Commitment
You’ve got to take the journey, and after taking a look at that list from the advertisement, does it look like it’ll happen overnight?
But that doesn’t mean you cannot start feeling really great about stepping onto the path the moment you do. The rewards along the way are beyond description. You don’t have to make the trip alone either. It’s your journey, but having an experienced guide and/or quality support system is quite helpful.
This is why I offer my free Inner Wisdom Circle as a place to commune with others committed to this amazing Soul’s Journey.
Feel free to reach out for a complimentary conversation to see where you are on your journey and how I might be of support.
I have complete faith in you and your ability to take the journey to fully align with your Soul. You wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t.
The most rewarding job we’ll ever take is the one that takes us on the path of Soul Alignment!
