I’ve been meaning to do a write-up on this for a few months now but have been unbelievably busy and preoccupied. Life is calming down in a nice way now and my thoughts return to this subject.
I have not been conventionally employed for over 10 years now. I have called it self-employment before but that term doesn’t quite fit the bill. Nor does the term “freelancing”. I have offered a consultation service since April 2014, helping people to become their truest selves and all that is entailed thusly. I have some relevant training toward this end but ultimately, my own personal passions have always resided in this camp of philosophy, self-knowledge, and relationships. I remember being asked by a group of peers one idle afternoon on somebody’s doorstep when we were 14 what I wanted to do when I grew up and replying, “psychology” with the indication that it would be counseling. This answer was roundly agreed upon as a natural fit. I’d already had a lot of practice, at this point! I have always been a considerate and judicious confidant. I don’t consider what I do to be “psychology” because once I learned psychology and felt I’d mastered it, I sort of chucked it out. It’s not a part of my lexicon and I don’t much care for it.
10 years. They have been massively rewarding. I have learned such a tremendous amount and have been a massive help to others. I don’t want to speak much to the nature of it. I see “coaches” and psychologists out there mine their client bases for books and acclaim. This behavior has always struck me as completely repugnant. At one point I had testimonials on my website, figuring it was a good idea to do based on some business books I had been reading, but I have since taken those down. My standards continue to rise.
I will be entering into middle age in a couple of years and the pace I have kept in my 30’s has led to a bevy of health problems, not to mention I do think the physical environment is degrading. For example, I have worked approximately 19 months without a single week’s break. I have been absorbed and on a heater. But the needs of my family have forced me to back off. I took a single day off about 6 weeks ago and marveled at how odd it felt as it had been well north of a year since I’d even taken a day off. I simply adore the work and adore other people. However, I have been carrying too much weight and I have my limits. So I am taking a month off here in a week.
I remember Daniel Mackler saying he saw tons of people a week in NYC and essentially, other than a few day trips, that he didn’t take time off for 10 years. This gradually resulted in him having terrible stomach issues and getting vitiglio, of all things! I always took this as a challenge and have basically attained similar results. I chuckle as I type this out. I wanted to see and now I have seen.
I don’t think people do “counseling” very well. This has been my overriding experience of seeing how others navigate the feedback they get in the private, professional setting. Even people a decade ago I thought were titans are honestly just “good” trending toward adequate. They make all these mistakes that drive me nuts. The world really does need peaceful parenting, more than anything else. I figure kids who are peacefully parented now would end up capable of attaining the skill level I had at the outset of my work. This is because I did nothing but reparent myself in my teens through my 20’s. I have been singularly excellent and I am no longer pretending otherwise or paying homage to someone else as a way of feeling grounded. I am a Natural.
I am going to enjoy my well-deserved rest of one month. I so much appreciate everyone who has worked with me over the years. The season of my life is changing and some retooling and plumbing for new depths is in order. I have gone high and low for the answers but now it is time to rest. I have earned my rest. I will not be the same when I come back!
