‘A healthy social life is found, when in the mirror of each human soul, the whole community finds its reflection, and when, in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living’. Rudolf Steiner
If competition is the old paradigm; the old way of operating a business, then what is the new way of doing it?
When working with competition as our focus, we may well be coming from a place of conflict and fear.
In a place of collaboration and support we step out of that fear and conflict and create a more expansive and encompassing way of working. We can, when we choose this more positive approach, find and work with a more harmonious process.
Giving & receiving can play a huge part in this.
Adrian has been working throughout 2015 with a group of 24 people with something that he created and birthed called The Health and Well-Being Exchange Circle (HAWBEC).
The main focus and essence of this group is to give and receive in a balanced way, with each person having the opportunity to give and receive up to 24 session, treatments or services in a 12 month period.
Can you imagine, just for a moment, receiving a massage, some reflexology or acupuncture every two weeks for a whole year? Perhaps you would choose a healing session with Reiki, sound or kinesiology or even choose a drumming or didgeridoo lesson?
Receiving is only a part of what this HAWBEC community do. Giving is also a big part of the process too, with the opportunity (in 2015) to receive up to 24 sessions each during the year.
As we know as practitioners in the health and well-being field, testimonials and referrals are a great way to grow our businesses and this is just what happens with this collaborative approach of working together.
There are many other benefits too, including, social get togethers, presentation and workshop opportunities and of course social media connections.
Once we have had a positive healing or transformational experience with someone, we are more likely to tell others, and when a group of professionally skilled people join together the word and energy spreads very quickly.
In 2016 the HAWBEC model is being expanded. The first two groups (in Brisbane and Sydney) will have 33 members; have monthly community get-togethers with music and presentations, a website, training and learning opportunities, social media coverage and much more.
The vision of working in a more collaborative and supportive way will be very much alive within these HAWBEC communities.
When we choose to take a more wholistic approach to our businesses and lives and choose to change our attitudes, beliefs and vibrations to more positive and higher ones, we can, and generally always do, attract more of those vibrations back!
This is not new information for many of us in this industry, but it is not always an easy place to work from; especially when working in isolation.
Fear and doubt are very real and can stem or even stop this flow. When we choose to work with others to create a bigger, more supportive positive energy it is much easier to hold and work with.
By choosing to work in this new way, we can learn to step out of the more competitive world and bring in many new benefits; including that of more finance. In the old competitive world there is often a sense of lack which is frequently fed by greed.
In this world, in this paradigm, people often start to under-cut each other and devalue themselves and subsequently the whole health and well-being industry. It often becomes a place of conflict, jealousy, ego and even spite and hatred.
Love, compassion, healing and positivity, the very thing that we are all trying to offer and bring into people’s lives, is often the very thing that we start to lack within ourselves, what a crazy paradox!
It is easy to get caught up with our businesses and loose our life/work balance. One way to bring more balance in to our lives, apart from a HAWBEC session each week or two is to have a cause, project or charity to support.
This is especially true if there is a feeling that there is more receiving going on than there is giving. The Botshabelo community orphanage is in South Africa is one main focus for Adrian as a way of giving.
He has been connected to the Botshabelo community for over 10 years and loves to visit when he can. There is no shortage of places or people looking for support in the world and they will seldom turn you away!
Visualising, creating, planning and putting into action a new business plan or model is often required to break out of the old and into the new. Finding new ways to operate and ‘be’ in business and in life is not just a necessity for the health and well-being industry right now, it is now essential.
If we choose to stay in the old way of working we will continue to see good, honest and very professional people leave the industry because they cannot earn a decent enough living to support themselves and their families.
With collaborative supportive models, such as the HAWBEC, people can work together to set decent fees that really value and honour the work that we do. If this is not done, the Domino Effect will most likely come into play, and, one by one, people and businesses will tumble and fall.
Just take a look at the negative effects of the World Free Trade Agreements. For people in small business it is (literally) killing them.
It is important, from many perspectives, to set ones price or fee that reflects a true value of the ‘giving and receiving’. This can be measured in many ways and it is important to know what this value is and then hold firm with it.
It is a sad state of affairs when we see people offering and giving professional and effective health and healing sessions (here in Australia) for just $30 for an hour or more’s work.
Can you imagine doctors, dentists or psychiatrists doing this? It really is time to put a stop to this and to start honouring ourselves and the very industry that should support us.
Learning to find the balance of giving & receiving, which is the foundation of the HAWBEC philosophy, is not always an easy task.
Even with the 25 members in Brisbane during 2015 it was very evident that the balance of giving and receiving and self-nurturing was difficult for some of the members. This is not a criticism.
It is simply an observation and one that has helped Adrian to re-develop and add new aspects to the HAWBEC’s for 2016. Like many opportunities in life, it is about using the learning in a positive way and sharing it with others so that we can all grow and become even conscious.
The health and well-being industry is our home and it is up to us to keep it in a healthy state.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Adrian Hanks – Life Mastery Coach
