All my life, I’ve felt like I have too much to DO! No surprise that I found myself in advertising – the ultimate stress pot of the corporate world. With daily deadlines, constant evaluations, (you’re only as good as your last idea) there’s a never-ending push to come up with MORE ideas to sell MORE stuff to MORE people.
At the same time, I’ve always known that there was more to life than ‘stuff’. A deep vein of peace running beneath the surface of life - just waiting to be tapped.
Growing up Christian in England, later in life, I gravitated to the Hindu philosophy of Advaita Vedanta (Not Two.) I attended the School of Practical Philosophy in New York for over 15 years, both as a student and a tutor. And through the influence of Eknath Easwaran of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, I developed a profound love of the spiritual wisdom underlying all traditions – particularly delighting in the poetry of the mystics and the beauty of great spiritual texts. In the midst of a busy career, I found great solace and support from the teachings.
In 2012, following graduation from the Master’s Degree Program in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica, I started my Inspirational Life Coaching practice — combining a heart-centered, spiritual approach with my many years of business experience to support my clients in achieving their goals. Still working in advertising, I felt busy and productive.
Then, without warning, I developed troubling symptoms of dizziness, wooziness and fatigue. I felt I was being called to literally stop. To rest. To be extraordinarily kind to myself. To watch the rain on the window. To sit in nature. To ask for help. To regroup. I couldn’t push myself to DO anymore. I just needed to BE and to trust that it would be OK. I listened to my inner wisdom more and more. Gradually I returned to my Self – gentler, kinder, less striving, more loving. What a huge relief!
This is the way I choose to live my life today. And it’s the gift that I offer my clients. A new way of living – where essence leads the way, and ego gratefully follows.support from the teachings.
My passion project – writing music for a concert!
What will yours be?
Learn more about DO LESS/BE MORE Coaching and PASSION PROJECT Coaching.
Jane's Story —
Learning to do less,
and be more.
My passion project combined my love of sacred text with a love of music, but very little technical experience or training!
I began hearing melodies when studying the words of the mystics over 16 years ago. I had no ability to write the music down myself in playable or singable format, and I had limited success in finding collaborators. So for 10 years, very little happened.
But still, I knew there was music inside that needed to come out. So when my Master’s Degree Program required me to design and fulfill a heartfelt project over a 9-month period, not without trepidation, I chose to write music to the words of women mystics, and put on a concert.
Tapping the source
This was definitely not ‘MY’ music... it was coming from some place else! This was essence music, not ego music. In some ways this made it much easier to ‘manage the process,’ through the ups (I found another great singer who will do it – yeh!) and downs (A personal crisis over staying true to the concept that brought up a lot of my stuff!)
Pulling the project together
Over a period of 9 months, following a clear process with support, I created the music, and staged a concert in a beautiful little church with talented singers – and even sang in it myself.
As I brought all of the pieces together, I also watched and supported fellow Spiritual Psychology students in bringing forward their heartfelt dreams – learning to play the piano, starting a business, writing a book, finding a relationship, learning to fly (It seems the sky is the limit!) — and I saw the amazing possibilities and creativity that lies within people, just waiting to be revealed.
That first concert literally changed my life. My second concert followed a year later. And I’m now starting on a third concert to take place next spring.
If I can do it, so can you!
What is your passion, project or dream? Are you ready to go for it, with support from your Inner Wisdom, and from me? (-;