“Not all those who wander are lost.”
—from All that is gold does not glitter by J.R.R Tolkien
In 2003, Spirit guided me to take a course with the incredible Charlene Ryan, a gifted messenger and teacher. It was a transformative experience that enabled me to integrate my “psychic self” with my “physical self”– something I had difficulty with prior. Deep within, I have always felt called to a career in an energy healing profession. However, like many psychics, I did readings on the side, pushing the thought of a dedicated intuitive-based career to that list of things I would do “one day,” and I pursued a traditional career track, one in which I found considerable success. Shortly after taking Charlene’s course, I received an unexpected call from a former co-worker requesting assistance. His request was that I work with him to convey to his Board the benefits of investing in the human resource function. That call was the beginning of an eight year journey that would illuminate my path toward a professional career in energy work.
I ended up agreeing to reprise my former role as human resources director. With my HRD (d for development) hat on, I arrived to find an organization in crisis. The weighty and chaotic energy hit me in the face as I walked in the door. I could not avoid the energetic tells if I had wanted to (and there were many times that I did very much want to). It quickly became clear that I could not succeed in my HR role without pushing for changes to operating practices and financial planning.
Before the end of that first year, I was asked to serve as general manager. My background up to that point was in HR, with zero operational and limited financial experience; and, the company’s ability to keep the doors open was in question. Had I based my decision in response to the “ask” on data based logic, or even ego…I would have run for the hills. Logic screamed that I was under qualified, and could not ramp up technically at the rate necessary for financial recovery. Ego told me it was too great a risk…this “opportunity” was career suicide: I had no desire to be a general manager in a specialized industry, there was a possibility that I would fail, and what was perhaps most difficult for my ego—I had worked hard to build an HR career. I knew that there was a distinct probability that if I strayed from that path for too long, it would be difficult to return. Oh, and did I mention fear and self-doubt? Yeah. It did not help that experienced industry professionals told me I’d be crazy to take it on.
I seriously needed to dig deep within. As a servant leader, it was not in my nature to walk away when asked to serve. And, though I saw negative energy occupying much of the space in that organization, I also saw a remarkable strength and light that simply needed to be unveiled. In consult with my guides, I considered the risks of leaving my comfortable area of expertise, the need (and opportunity) before me, and my belief that the universe always provides what I ask for (not always a conscious ask, by the way). That belief had never failed me. I felt strongly that though it would change the course of my life in a way that was unknown, the right thing to do was to accept the job. By doing so, I would employ the whole of my abilities to assess the business and usher in requisite changes, not out of some grand desire to bring spirit to work but out of necessity.
Listening to my guides and reading energy, I more readily saw underutilized talent and the need to shift from a poverty mindset to a prosperity consiousness. I recognized necessary data and reporting needs, leadership gaps, helpful resources, and so many opportunities. My intuitive abilities helped me to hear what wasn’t said, find what was hidden, and put people in the right seats. This turned out to be a significant complement to my learned expertise of leadership development and HR.
In addition to setting the typical business goals, I set an intention that I would not leave until a specific energetic shift took place. Many shifts took place over the years and frankly, I eventually forgot all about the intention. But, I did not forget that this was not my dream career. I had envisioned a time that I wanted to leave by and on target, planned my exit. About nine months before my scheduled departure, I remembered that intention set so many years ago and realized that a specific element of that initial intent had not shifted. I began to question my belief about the universe providing because I was certain that this change was in the best interest of the whole. As it turned out, it was during those last few months that the shift occurred. I was able to leave knowing that I had done what I intended to do, and I learned a valuable lesson about detachment.
Throughout that chapter of my life, my intuitive abilities grew and became more focused. I felt an ever-growing desire to commit myself to energy work. I got a lot of practice looking at the energetic influences on a business and on individuals. It was a highlighter that guided my attention to the most critical areas and to those resources that could address them. More often than not, those were human resources. I honestly believe that someone would have turned the lights out on that company had the energetic shifts not happened. It did not have to be me overseeing this shift, but the right people needed to be in the right position with the right intentions.
Those “right people” were there before I arrived, and they remain long after my departure. They love what they do and are meant to do it (it is a mission based organization). I was there to hold an open space for their talent to come to the fore, and to develop strength among leaders who simply needed someone to believe in them. Well, that is the part that I loved, anyway. It was a lot of work. More than I bargained for, but probably just what I needed. The experience underscored the significance that energy work has on well-being and joy. It taught me that a blend of traditional business practice and energy work can heal a broken company and remind people to look within and realize their potential.
So, that is how a gal who wandered off her “planned” career path came to understand that: she did not end up lost, detachment is the key to accepting the timing of the universe, and she did not have to be an HR leader or a psychic. This is what led me to finally arrive at my career destination…blending the best of both worlds.