Lockdown is coming.
This seems inevitable, the only question is when. One day, a few days, a week. It’s going to happen.
For a lot of people reading this article, a near lockdown is already in operation, and that means that not only are you stuck at home, you also can’t go to work.
In fact, you most likely can’t even work full stop.
From a financial point of view, this isn’t much fun (trust me, I know first-hand as my business has ground to a halt and I still have monthly expenses!), but it might nevertheless be the best thing that has happened in years for many people.
Why?
Because it gives everyone a chance to reset. To begin again. To start afresh. It gives everyone time to reflect on their job and ask whether it truly is the best fit for them.
If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you’ll know I love to quote Thoreau’s famous line that ‘The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation’.
This resonates because most people I meet (including students of mine) feel stuck in unsatisfying jobs.
Now, we all probably have several missions in life, but one of mine is to inspire people to get the most out of themselves, to dare to live a bolder and brighter life.
This, in a sense, is the idea behind my novels ‘Full Speed’, ‘Call of the Silver Cockatoo’, and ‘The Slob’s Guide to the Perfect Job’ (the last two are still waiting to be published). They pose the question:
‘What happens when you stop living other people’s dreams and have the courage to live your own?’
Reiki, too, addresses this issue with the 4th Precept: ‘Be honest in your work’.
For me, this means more than just not cheating anyone in business. It means being honest with yourself. It means finding a job – livelihood – that is in harmony with your deepest nature. Because if you don’t do that, then you are not being ‘honest’ with who you are. You are not being true to yourself.
So I am writing today to suggest that you use this forced layoff profitably. I’m saying that when it’s all over (and yes, it will end), it might be time to take a chance, to take a leap.
Time to be truer to who you are.
Time to fly.
Because sure, you can’t ever be certain of the end result. But you can be certain of one thing: if you keep doing what you are currently doing, you’ll keep getting the results you’re currently getting.
So unless you are totally happy with these, you’ve got to try something new.
And that means not continually putting things off, because the longer you stay in an uninspiring job, the more it will sap your energy, the more you’ll get stuck in a rut, and the more difficult it will be to extricate yourself from it!
Some Personal Examples
Imagine you’re at Melbourne University. Imagine you’re doing a PhD on a scholarship that pays you to study. Imagine you’re doing some lecturing and tutoring. Imagine you even enjoy many aspects of academic life.
But then also imagine that deep down you know your path is another one, that deep down you yearn for something that resonates more fully with who you really are.
Well, that was my situation back in 2002. I was doing very nicely in academia but, having meditated for many years, found that my study was no longer satisfying like it once was.
I needed something more.
I needed something to light up my soul.
So I walked out.
I said ‘no’ to my PhD.
‘No’ to my scholarship.
‘No’ even to the opportunity of deferring my scholarship for up to a year.
Instead, I made a clean break and burnt my bridges.
I did this because I knew my path was something different and didn’t want to be tempted.
I didn’t want to have something to fall back on – as wise as that may have sounded. I wanted to send myself a message that I was committed and would do whatever it took to be true to who I was.
So I went against the advice of every single person I knew.
My parents.
My family.
My friends.
My supervisor at uni.
The janitor at uni (okay, I’m making this last one up!).
Everyone.
Most people told me to just finish my PhD (I was already two years into it).
The minority suggested that it couldn’t hurt to keep my options open and defer my place and scholarship for a year just in case I changed my mind.
No one said to do what I did.
It was a decision I had to make alone – on nothing but the strength of my inner voice.
The Reiki Risk
Teaching Reiki required a similar leap of daring.
Having spent a long time travelling to remote parts of the world (India, Thailand, Nepal, etc.), I returned to Australia and could have settled for a regular job. I could probably even have worked my way back into academia.
Instead, I chose to teach Reiki for a living.
Now, I did have a bit of financial support from a second business that was operating pretty well by itself at the time (maybe 15-25k per year); but that wasn’t at all guaranteed, and I was about to enter a field where most people find it challenging to make a living.
What’s more, I had a non-working partner and two kids to look after.
But I jumped anyway. I put my energy and soul into my new business, and things worked.
They worked because I was willing to work consistently. And they worked because I was doing something that was in alignment with who I really was (and am!).
As a result, the Universe said, ‘Go ahead my friend, I’ve got you covered.’
Now, I’d be lying if I said it was always easy (my first course had two participants: one who paid $250 and other who was a friend of mine and came for free!); but I never defaulted on my rent, and over time my business has grown and grown.
What’s Stopping You?
You might be wondering why more people (maybe even you!) don’t take a chance.
The answer is that humans tend to play it safe.
I discovered a fine example of this first-hand many many years ago when I learned to count cards at blackjack and, as a result, spent a bit of time at the newly-open Crown Casino.
It was a miserable way to earn a living (sitting beside people who are self-destructing in front of your eyes) and not even a particularly profitable one (gone are the days where they use a single deck of cards!); but one thing I did learn was how wimpy most people are.
Yes, wimpy.
Given a choice between taking another card and possibly going bust and ‘sitting’in a situation that would lead to almost certain death, most people chose to sit and die slowly.
From time to time, I’d offer my advice. I’d know with mathematical certainty that I was right. I’d do my best to encourage the best play; but the fear of jumping was almost always too much. It didn’t matter what I said, almost everyone simply sat and waited for the croupier to beat their hand and gather up their chips.
Of course, it goes beyond simple fear. The other reason it is difficult for people to try a new and daring path is that, like with my decision to leave academia, you typically don’t get much support from those around you.
In fact, quite the contrary.
Most people advise against anything that even has the faintest whiff of going against the masses.
Why?
Well, let’s imagine you do leave the flock and start munching on greener pastures. How does that make the flock feel?
There they are on their barren stretch of land looking over at you who are feasting on fresh, juicy grass and all they can do is either hate themselves for not having the courage to join you or...try to pull you down...or better yet, try to stop you going in the first place so they never have to risk such an event arising!
Transition, Transition, Transition
Okay, I have a confession to make: an Indian palm reader once told me I was a little rash.
Possibly true.
So don’t rush out and quit your job (presuming you still have a job!) having read this article.
Unless you have an alternative means of support, a more prudent method would be to transition over into something you love doing.
First, learn the necessary skills.
Then go part-time.
Then, when business is booming, jump over to full time.
That way you eliminate risk.
Alternatively, you can jump like a maniac. But if you are going to do this, make sure you have the skills needed to make things work – and make sure you are ready to commit.
Before I leapt into Reiki teaching, I had done over ten years of serious meditation, done untold hours of Reiki practice, learned to build websites, learned to write essays, and also had some important business experience.
In other words, I had the skills to make it work.
Conclusion
Coronavirus is a beast. No doubt about that. But as the old saying goes, ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’
It’s typically annoying when people sprout such sayings, but it is nevertheless true, and it is true right now.
We are living a unique moment in time, a time where we have all been given a chance to take stock of our lives, a chance to figure out not only what occupation or job would be the best fit for us, but also who we’d like to become.
So don’t waste the opportunity. Use it to reinvent yourself.
Be brave. Aim high. And don’t settle for a life without passion.
Don’t settle for a job that doesn’t inspire you.
Instead, listen to your heart, put a plan in place – and then make it happen.
(The – ahem – disclaimer: Please don’t do anything crazy after reading this article. Be bold, yes; but be strategic. I am not a professional consultant of any variety. So my words are spoken as a friend, not an advisor. Any decision you make is 100% your responsibility.)
To find out more about Jeremy O'Carroll's Reiki courses, visit the Om Reiki Centre website. Or to catch up with his daily reflection, visit the Om Reiki Centre Facebook page.
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