I met with a therapist today as there are some things I really want to work and move through and that felt really good. He was clear and perceptive and I feel like I'll be able to do some good work which I am excited about. Time to peel away another layer...
I have a couple of different people to talk to next week as far as getting some more work out there- one who wants me to lead a chanting meditation at her office for a group of people and another who markets small businesses and might help give my business a jump start in this area. She is very interested in sound healing so partial trade may be an option too which is kind of nice.
I gave a lovely woman a session today at my house, which has really been my plan since I moved in- getting my business going here in my house. I moved in last October but there has been so much upheaval between getting the house and healing space set up followed by holidays, birthday, travel and being sick for three weeks that it has been a very slow start. She was one of the people who came to the chanting group last Saturday. I didn't charge for the group last week because their usually their donations go to the soup kitchen at the church, and I was very comfortable with that; and through that event I have at least one new client so it was well worth it. I loved that she felt her health issues were as she put it, "A problem with resonance." It's nice to work with someone whose operating premise is that restoring health is a matter of restoring harmony. Usually that's my line and it's definitely what I am good at!
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| Newport Community Chanting, Emmanuel Church, Newport, RI World Sound Healing Day- February 14, 2015 |
I'm also working with several oncology patients through the Integrative Care Program at Women & Infants Hospital and starting to get more and more new patients each week. It's definitely another case of giving without concern for the return. The patients- oncology, caregivers, and senior citizens- get massage, sound healing, acupuncture, lymphatic drainage, and various other alternative therapies at a highly discounted rate. The therapists get a portion of that and in terms of monetary remuneration it isn't much, but it is such great work. When I am there I do massage, craniosacral therapy and sound healing with tuning forks. The clients are so much in need of the work and so appreciative that it is always such a pleasure working with them. All of these people, most of them women, are very proactive about their health and doing everything they can to stay balanced, which is a beautiful thing. In the beginning I thought, "I must be crazy to travel as far as I do for this work to barely make enough money to cover my gas!" but I love working with these people so much. And it is so thoroughly appreciated and that in itself is a huge reward. I only go out there one or two days a week so there are plenty of hours left in the week to make up the difference.
Oh, and tomorrow night I get to take my youngest son Nic, who just turned 34, out to dinner for his birthday to a fabulous restaurant in Bristol, RI. He is a foodie and has been aware of the restaurant, Persimmon, for quite some time but never been there. I, on the other hand, have- and I know he will love it! We have been trying to go for two weeks now but again... obstacles! Yep, the energy is finally starting to move!
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| My son Nicolas Hardisty and I |
Rosie, you have been blessed with such a generous spirit. Doesn't it feel good to give just because you can?
ReplyDeleteOh, you're sweet Suzy! Thanks. Yes, it so does! Something very important I learned from having my sound healing center that was really open to the community- after working out of my home for years. Finding ways to provide for people who were unable to do it for themselves due to their health or other challenging circumstances... There was so much stuff going around at the time about being unafraid to ask for what you (I) were worth, etc etc and to step out of that and begin to offer sessions on a sliding scale or barter with people for other work that I was not as good at (like organizing my office!) was really a learning curve for me- mostly about learning to trust- to trust myself and my intentions for how to do the most good for the most people.
DeleteI started a wellness coaching business this month, and the biggest thing I've struggled with is figuring out the pricing structure. I want to do it for FREE! But if I do that, I have to figure out how to make extra money with something else. So I'm trying to make my blog awesome and improve my writing so that perhaps that will be an avenue.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a running coach, but strictly informal and unpaid. He loves it, although we certainly could use the extra income. Even though we come from different faith backgrounds (I'm a Christian who believes in tithing, and he's an atheist), we come at the "giving" part strangely similarly. (They say most couples have opposite money-handling styles.)
As the Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than receive, so if we give from our hearts we will be much happier than if we were pursuing the dollar. (But I still want to make money with the blog. :-) )
Hi Suzy- I know it took me a while to get back to this but I did want to acknowledge your comment and tell you that I totally hear you! Figuring out the pricing is an interesting challenge. I tend to have sort of instinctive hit as to what feels right for a given service- and then to undersell myself! I am really working on this! A Course in Miracles says "To give and to receive are one in Truth." Another lesson in there is "All that I give is given to myself." Don't know if that is at all helpful or just more confusing- lol!
DeleteAlso, as I looking back at your comment and think some more about this, I want to say that I feel it is really important for us to acknowledge ourselves, to recognize our own value and the work and dedication we have put into becoming experts in our field and honoring our own worth by charging accordingly. As a friend reminded me years ago, Money is just energy. That is really helpful for me to remember rather than attaching any other meaning to it, - then I think it is easier to think about what is a fair "energy exchange."
ReplyDeleteAll those thoughts are very helpful - and very affirming to me. I heard another comment yesterday affirming the idea of charging and valuing the time and effort put into what an "expert" does. Thank you for continuing to think about it and taking the time to share your thoughts. It means so much.
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