Guest blog by Richi Watson
Six years ago I began sharing wellbeing guidance, online at first and then soon after with groups and audiences. Within a very short space of time I was thrust into the unlikely role of entrepreneur – I say unlikely because my intention was solely to be helpful to people; business didn't come into it. I shared what I had to share freely and it was the deepest joy to do so. But then something happened, large numbers of people engaged with what I was sharing, my facebook groups reached many thousands in number and I could receive hundreds of messages a week. During all this I had been working as a waiter in a local vegetarian restaurant by day, so that I was free devote my time to these groups and messages by night. I had only recently returned to work following the excited application of the missing lifestyle links which I needed to finally empower my body with the resources it needed to heal and thrive, having been engaged in a lifetime challenge with chronic and debilitating illness. I had no plan, just an intention. I was cell to soul motivated to share what I knew could be helpful to so many people struggling psychologically, emotionally and physically (it is usually some degree of all three).
The most important job
Around eight months after I started offering guidance, I became a father – the single most wonderful experience of my life. I now did a little consultancy work on top of waiting tables to encourage our ends to meet and to help ease our debts which quickly arose while I was too unwell to work and my partner was made redundant in the aftermath of the financial crash. I had two 'work-jobs' and the most important life-job a man can have – to be a good father. My wife struggled severely with what some may categorise as post-natal depression – we wouldn't, but that is all for another time and blog! There was no more time left in my days to continue being there for others outside my family, and so my mail-outs went unwritten and unsent, and my inbox went unseen.
From work-life to life's work
In the 8 months before, I had a message from a bullied 14 year old who told me that something I had shared had helped him overcome the depression from his bullying. A suicidal woman told me how she had finally let go of the pain of her relationship breakdown and was now inspired by altruism, and so many countless others who reached out for help, took what I offered to make their own and created meaningful change in their lives. Turning my back on that wasn't a comfortable idea for me, but it seemed a life necessity. There was only one thing to do – I needed to bring my work-life in alignment with my life's work. I needed to create an income for myself while being of service to others in this way. Why had this realisation passed me by before now? Because of a counter-productive belief which was underlying my thoughts: I associated helpfulness solely with giving, not with exchange. Although this may seem a noble sensibility to have, and that's how I felt about it, it can in reality be unsustainable. In giving, I had fallen into a position in which I could give no more and be of no more help. But in creating an exchange, I could give indefinitely!
The enlightened entrepreneur
We have a strange cultural dialogue emerge with fair regularity, and that is to criticise those who fund themselves to whatever degree by offering goods or services which are intended to be of authentic helpfulness to people in regards to their health and wellbeing. These sentiments are shared with pointed fingers while those who share them may themselves have little or no regard for the ethics of the company they work for. It's bizarre, and it makes no sense. Fortunately we are growing out of it, and recognising that enterprise is a means to create meaningful change. One of the most helpful things we can do in our current cultural paradigm is to find our passion and create a working life which resonates with it. It is the age of the enlightened entrepreneur. Politics is mostly irrelevant compared to the force of societal design which comes through consumerism – where the money flows, industry will grow and subsequently affect massive influence on our culture.
I say all this with an ever deepening intention to be of authentic service to as many people as possible, and to that end it is simply not good enough to amass considerable financial and material success, even by being of authentic service, if not creating ways in which those with little or nothing can benefit from what you can provide. Play to your strengths, find the community you connect with, and then in the expanding flow of your success take a look around and see if you can reach those who can't yet access what you have to offer. With its multi-level entry points to life-changing guidance, I hope my organisation, LifeWell, can serve as a model for others to be inspired by. LifeWell's infrastructure is underpinned by non-profit collaborations and projects which are as enjoyable and rewarding to nurture as a meaningful friendship, while LifeWell finances itself through the best value life transforming wellness experiences in the UK. Was it easy to create this infrastructure? No, but it was simple. If we want to be a force of positive change in this world, we must simply identify our intention, integrity and passion as our compass. We must keep moving, keep smiling, and guide by leading the way.
Richi Watson is an Integrative Wellbeing Guide and founder of LifeWell and the Wellbeing Now Seminar.
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