Giving Up
There are many levels of knowing what you must give up in order to get what you want. For clarification, when I am speaking of “want”, I am looking at it from the perspective of dreams and aspirations.
When it comes to fulfilling dreams, we are often required to give up a level of comfort. Sometimes the comfort comes from a space of having enough “down time”. How much of your free time are you willing to give up to pursue your dream? Is your dream important enough to give up your weekly night out? When I chose to pursue my desire to perform more, I knew that more hours of each week needed to be spent practicing. It meant being more focused in my day to day tasks so there would be time to immerse myself in learning, growing and honing my skills, not to mention the collaborative rehearsal time.
There is also the element of financial comfort when pursuing a dream. I knew (and still know) that I needed to reduce the number of piano students I was teaching each week in order to have more flexibility and time available to see clients for Lux Eterna Healing. The piano teaching provides a consistent, steady income each month. The energy healing has a higher level of unpredictability. However, I know that my passion and service are more in alignment with the energy work. Sacrificing financial security to expand and foster my passion for energy work is unsettling. I am fortunate to be married so I am not solely responsible for the monthly bills but it doesn’t make the uncertainty easier to me. My vocation is important to me and so is the affirming financial security.
Another aspect of comfort to be explored is finding your voice and sharing your dream with other people. My family had no idea of what Reiki was, not to mention my connection to crystals and using them in all healing sessions. I needed to step out of my comfort zone and share what is important to me. I needed to find the courage to educate people about energy work and the healing energy of crystals. Once that speed bump was cleared, I needed to step into the bigger venue of letting EVERYBODY know about what I do. This is an aspect that continues to expand for me. I am continually being nudged to get the word out about what I do yet finding the words to clearly articulate the breadth of what I do is challenging…which dovetails me right into another element of what I must give up…
I need to give up the old stories and excuses that I hang onto, keeping me stuck and spinning my wheels. I let myself get convinced of the difficulty of expressing what I do and then keep my scope narrow. I am a healing coach. Period. How that looks for each person is different. Sometimes it’s physical healing. Sometimes it’s emotional healing. Sometimes it’s more mental healing. Sometimes it’s spiritual healing. And sometimes it’s a combination of all four. There is no limit or boundary as to what “angle” the healing takes. There is intuitive guidance within the sessions as well as intentional healing based on client information. All I can tell you is that the person who comes in my door is not the same as the person who walks out an hour or an hour and a half later. It is profound. I am always humbled by the vulnerability of those coming to see me and their own passion for healing. It’s time to let go of the old stories. I am ready for more.
Another thing to give up is the attachment to a specific label or identity. I am most known for being a piano teacher. Not only do I need to fully release that identity, but those who know me will also shift gears. I certainly am not stuck due to their label of me, but it represents my need to allow myself to be seen and known as a healing coach, an energy and crystal intuitive healer. What I love most about the phrase “healing coach” is that I am not confined by a label or to a certain modality of energy work. I am free to respond to what each person brings with them in a unique way, specific to them and their needs. It is very empowering and liberating to allow what is natural within me to flow freely.
This certainly doesn’t cover the full realm of what needs to be given up in order to get what we want, but it highlights some of the big areas that I have faced and continue to face as I expand my work. Be willing to be curious and examine what you need to let go of in order to fulfill your dreams.