My little secret: How to be yourself at work, without scaring off your clients.

Hi Marian, thanks so much for your response. I’m delighted to hear about your new position in your business, and the Freedom that has given you. You’re right… “How much of myself do I show?”… That is the question!

I guess one way to approach it could be… to make a list of those things that you “might want to, but are hesitant to” share with your customers… Just putting something out of the head and onto paper can sometimes help get perspective on it.

Another really enlightening exercise is to take any one of those things and ask yourself “What’s the worst that could happen if I shared this?“… Again, you can write your answer down on the left hand column of a piece of paper… And ask “If that happened, what’s the worst that could happen then?”, and so on, until you have really emptied out the absolute worst possible scenario. Sometimes this brings up real fears… Other times it brings up ridiculous ones. It’s good to sort the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

Then, in the right hand column of the same page, ask yourself: “What’s the best that could happen if I shared this?“ … And record your answer. Then ask, “And if that happened, what’s the best that could happen then?”. It’s good to keep asking until your list of “bests” is longer than your list of “worsts”.

When you’re done, you should have more insight into what it’s really about for you, and what the real nature of the risks are… As well as the potential benefits.

From there, the only thing left to do is to take some quiet time to listen to your own soul and let it show you the way forward.

Let me know if you give this exercise a go… I’d love to hear how it works for you!

Many blessings for your business. May it flourish! (And if I’m ever in Ballarat, I’ll be sure to come visit )

HI Natalie… how to manage going from the wide open spaces of nature back to four grey walls and a blue screen… This is such an important question, for your own health and wellbeing.

There are little things you can do to bring nature into your life at work - assuming you have your own desk, a small live potplant on your desk, or a larger one on the floor by your desk, a photo or poster of a natural place on your wall and your screen saver, and eating your lunch in a nearby greenspace, rather than in the staff kitchen, at your desk, or at a cafe…. All of this is a good start. Other natural elements that can adorn your desk, shelves or wall include smooth beach stones, gemstones, driftwood, or some other carved wooden object, and a candle in a protected space (fors fire safet y- like in an aromatherapy oil burner… you could even put something fresh smelling like pine essence or lemon gum in the oil burner - check with a local aromatherapist or the perfect potion about it)… just simple things that your eyes can rest on to remind you that you are actually still on the earth, even while you are in this building.

Another thing you can do is conenct with the earth through a simple meditation - close your eyes and imagine - even if you are a few stories up - that there is an energetic cord running out through the bottom of your feet, like roots, tapping down deep into the earth. And imagine branches reaching out through the roof to soak up the sun. The earth beneath us, the sun or stars above… It’s always there, even if we can’t see it. So you can always close your eyes and feel it. This practice is probably healing for the earth as it is for you.

Finally, your breath is the ultimate place of connection with the entire atmosphere of the planet. Just to close your eyes and remember that the oxygen you are breathing initially came to you via a tree somewhere! And the carbon dioxide you are breathing out will eventually find a plant to breathe it in and transform it again. The relationship continues, no matter where we are. Being “stuck in an office” can help us to appreciate that relationship so much more deeply
Thanks for asking… Let me know if any of this helps, and how it goes!