Sitting here now, reflecting, I 'know' something for sure, I have complete confidence in the absolute integrity of my own experience.
That's really the beginning and ending of all that I offer others through my writing and work.....but I notice something else, which creates enormous power for me....when it comes to my opinions on stuff, doesn't matter what it is......I am almost certainly wrong....or at best partly wrong....about everything.
The liberty knowing this brings is wonderful, holding this way of thinking seems to create space to truly hear others when they disagree with me.
These days I am not really that concerned about what others think about me, I have stuff I want to share that I think some people will find supportive of their life, some won't be interested etc, but so what, right?
Some people will copy my content, so what right?
The ‘Truth’ = I am an expert on my own experience and no one can express my experience like I
can.
but... and... be aware of the 'expert' trap
There is a trap in all this, and here it is, when I mistake my experience for anything like 'objective
truth' about anything. This kind of mistake is probably the source of all the fighting we witness in the birth world, on social media and in our communities.
My experience is only ever 'just' my experience. I have now coached a number of birth professionals who are seeking to develop their own business offering, to be honest I love doing it, a number of those I have coached are now either collaborators on other projects we are doing together or just friends who keep in touch or both.
A common theme of almost all the coaching conversations I have had with with these birthing pros has been related to them feeling like imposters, you know what I mean, they don’t feel as though they have anything original to offer the world. My response is always they same, and if you are wondering what I have said to them in the past read the top half of this blog again, in fact read it as many times as you have to in order to get the experience of it.
You are an EXPERT on your own experience, no one in the fucking whole world has had or is
having YOUR experience, no one in the world has lived your life to date in the same way as you
have, no one has read the books you have in the way you have, from WHERE you are looking out at the world you are THE ONLY ONE who can give what you have to give.
How is business? Given your UNIQUE place in the market if it isn’t going well yet I’m guessing
it’s because you haven’t got YOUR STORY straight yet.