Hi ,

Another One Bites the Dust…

This week I had yet another learning experience in this social experiment I call my human life…lol
But the lessons. So many lessons (and reminders!)…
And while they’re fresh, I want to share them with you, so you don’t make the same mistakes.
This week I decided to walk away from my current mentor. I talk about a whole series of lessons around being offended or offensive in this week’s video. In addition, here are three more reasons why this working relationship didn’t work out.

01 | Not Free To Be Me

My biggest challenge in life has been to figure out who I am and what I stand for and express that to the world.
In a world that rewards conformity and compliance, connecting to who I really am has been a struggle. So, let’s say when I was told my perspective to empower people with sovereignty, free will and self-responsibility rather than oppression and privilege were wrong, offensive, toxic, and needs to be changed and apologised for, it pushed some buttons.

My ego went into defence, my inner child cried, and my soul cheered me on.

It’s no longer possible for me to work with someone who wants to suppress and censor me. By not wavering and standing true to who I now know I am (at least for now), all aspects of me came out on the other side. My inner child finally feels valued, understood and protected by me.

The Lesson - When you finally figure out who you are and what you stand for, never compromise this for anything.

02 | Misaligned Values + Expectations

It took me a while to figure out when it comes to engaging mentors, joining courses or programs, and ensuring teacher and student expectations are aligned.
This means you have to be clear on your current problem, what it is that you need and how this person will help you solve this problem and meet your needs. Specifically.

So I engaged the services of a marketing mentor who provided great information and expertise about marketing.
However… it turns out we have very different worldviews. In the “professional, corporate world”, this has never really been an issue. Mainly because people just don’t speak about these things. But in the small business world, coaches and mentors, you’re doing your own thing because you don’t want to be restricted. Which means you can run your business your way.
So when I realised my mentor required me to apologise publicly for my perspective and align with her political stance and worldview for her to support my business fully, I realised it was time to let go.

The Lesson - Know your expectations AND personal, and professional values, worldview and ethics are aligned with the people you work with. It’s all energetic…

03 | You Have Everything You Need

Coming from a design background, and primarily through teaching, I have realised that design and art follow a proven process and use a range of materials and tools that have been used many, many times over. This applies to anything we are creating.
Creativity occurs when we choose to use certain resources, materials and tools and re-arrange them in our own unique way.

A good teacher teaches you principles and how to use the tools, different brushes, colour mixing, types of paint, and styles of painting such as landscape, portrait or abstract. They empower you with strong foundations to make good choices of your own.
A good teacher facilitates YOUR process of creativity using a framework rather than telling you what to paint and where to put your brush.

My expectation and the promise from my mentor was the support to create a unique system that worked for me. It turned out to be yet another generic, one-size-fits-all that did not align with my vision or values, and I could not squeeze myself into, which is fine. I now know when to take what I’ve learned and move on.
I now finally acknowledge I have all the tools and materials I need. It’s now time to create from the inside out and go with the flow.

Lesson - You have everything you need inside you. You just need to know how to use the materials and tools and then combine and express them in your own way.