If you’ve ever studied Human Design, then you’ll know that sometimes, when you’re a Generator like I am (along with 70% of the population), it can be frustrating to wait for the right time/impetus. This has been the case for me.
I have spent the last 10 years looking for what I was “supposed” to be doing. Digging deep, trying this thing and that, teaching countless classes, exploring joint ventures, attending workshops and training programs, hiring coaches, working with healers and psychics, and working hard on myself – all in search of that elusive “mission”. I cried many tears of frustration, complained loudly to my guides and the universe that I “need a little help here”, and went from panic to trust and back again – over and over. Now I’m a patient woman, but I hit my limit on patience about four years ago. I surrendered, I chose, I surrendered again. Little did I know during all that time that my mission had been there all along.
In 1999, when I was opening my retail store, Mystical Times, my business partner and I tried to get a small business grant. During the course of the conversation, someone who was helping us with the business plan asked the fateful question – “If I gave you $400,000, what would you do with it?” I didn’t have an immediate answer to the question. It was clear that the store would not need that kind of capital unless I wanted to grow it into a bunch more retail locations – which I didn’t. (It seems that even in the beginning I had a sense that I was not cut out for retail.) But the question nagged at me.
A few days later, I had my answer. If someone had given me that kind of capital at the time, I would have started a Spiritual Leader University. That moment planted the seed – which I promptly forgot about (because I didn’t have $400,000 and so I considered it a pipe dream) and went on trying to find my mission. And now, over 14 years later, I look back and I realize that, regardless of how unconscious I may have been about it, I have been slowly preparing to run that university the whole time.
- Eleven years ago, my e-book Bring It On! Accelerated Growth for Spiritual Adventurers started with the words “Welcome to the Mystery School”. Even though I wasn’t conscious of it at the time, on some level I realized that this book wasn’t the primer I was writing it to be – it was a way for those who have been studying for a while to fill in the gaps in their spiritual education.
- Ten years ago I started working on other people’s retreat teams and interviewing those who had run successful retreats for years about what worked and what didn’t.
- Nine years ago, I began developing products, launching my first website, and learning about online marketing of programs and products. I have made my living online ever since.
- Eight years ago, I got a book published and became a regular columnist in a major magazine.
- Six years ago, I laid out the plan for a website to support spiritual leaders in getting their mission into the world and ran another retreat with my business partner for this project, Kathy Scheiern.
- Four years ago, I designed retreats for retreat leaders, launched the WorkshopLeadersResource.com website, and co-founded the east coast regional Association of Transformational Leaders in New York City.
- Three years ago I ran The Women’s Spiritual Leadership Telesummit and started speaking on the Women’s Empowerment circuit. I also launched the Virtual Coaching program for Spiritual Leaders.
- And in the last two years, I’ve been professionally coming out of the spiritual closet myself and stepping forward as a shaman in my own right.
And this is just the stuff I did since 1999. In reality, I’ve been training for this my entire life.
- I started studying personal growth, spirituality, and energetics when I was seven.
- At 12 I learned about instructional course design as I helped my mother (a certified teacher) lay out and structure learn-as-you-go books.
- At 13 I helped my mother (also a certified nurse) start her own home health care agency.
- At 18 I helped a friend open a payroll company. And at 19 I had to take that company over and run it by myself as my friend had a nervous breakdown brought on by an early version of Prozac. This caused me to start studying business and success. I read countless stories about millionaires and how they made their money.
- During this same time, I was a theater major in college, learning about stage presence and performance skills.
- At 21, I worked at the International Market Place in Waikiki, HI in the management office. I learned how to effectively manage a wide swath of small business owners.
- At 23, I became a real estate agent and started to learn about marketing and sales techniques as well as developing some much-needed skills in diplomacy and persuasion.
- At 26, I began training agents, speaking to large and small groups of people and designing independent training programs.
- At 27, I was President of Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern CT and had to learn how to speak to the public at town hall meetings, dealing with the press, and herding a large group of volunteers involved in large-scale projects. That was a tough year for the affiliate, so I also got a lot of experience in conflict management.
- At 28, I got my Reiki certification and took a 9-month Shiatsu class. And then I chucked my life. I sold my house and my business, divorced my husband of 7 years, and moved out of state.
- From there I opened the Spiritual Education and Healing Center that I started this conversation with.
Whew! And I totally left out my study of psychology, my walkabout, and a whole lot of other stuff that happened in there too. When you lay out your life like that, it all looks so impressive, but you don’t think about it when you’re living it. I’m sure your list would be pretty impressive too.
So in short, this is my life’s work. I’m meant to bring together the spiritual leaders of today and tomorrow and help them accomplish their missions. And I’m doing just that. Over the next several days, I’ll be telling you more about it. And on Friday, you’ll see the page show up on my website where, if you are a Spiritual Leader in need of some help bringing your mission to the world, you can sign up for the introductory course – Manifest Your Mission.
I’m so excited!