When we arrived at Eumundi markets, I lost Renee in the crowds. I had done two loops of the huge markets before I thought I’d go back and see where Renee might be. She hadn’t left the first stall that she stopped at! It was a stall selling essential oils and by the time I found her, she was adamant that she too wanted to share the benefits of essential oils, just as the people who introduced us to them did.
At the time of our chance meeting, Renee had only used peppermint essential oil, but she had a profound experience in managing the pain and discomfort of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). She would simply place a drop of peppermint essential oil under her tongue rather than taking conventional medicines that had minimal results.
It was through Renee’s unfortunate situation that great fortune would emerge.
Finding Our Purpose
The reason why I’m telling you this story is to share our experience of finding purpose. The most rewarding thing we could do would be what makes us happy, what makes our spirit sing and what aligns with our values. We found that by simply helping others in the most basic and moral way.
On that day in Eumundi markets, although we were always open to new things that would help Renee with her Irritable Bowel, we weren’t incessantly searching for something that we didn’t know we were looking for. We simply provided the space and opportunity for this moment to arise by getting out in life, connecting with people and being open to opinions, techniques and tools that others have had results with.
Personal Growth
Since embarking on our adventure of building a network marketing-based natural health business, we have needed to learn and grow within ourselves immensely in order to help others. Part of our purpose and one of the major things that I have learnt in this process is that in order to grow, you need to consistently work on yourself. Be highly aware of your own emotions, thoughts, behaviours and the choices you make on a daily basis. Do they align with what you want in life?
Once I became more aware of my conditioning, choices, personality traits etc. I was able to provide experiences and tools to others to help them on their journey to health and happiness.
One of the profound techniques I learned when I was studying a Diploma in Yoga, taken from the eight limbs of yoga, is Svadyaya or “Self Study”. I had learned that the most important person to be aware of and the only one who I could control, is myself. The words that I think and say, the way I responded in given situations and the choices that I make are all dependent on me.
Only when I became more aware of myself was I able to reflect a world that I wanted to attract into my life.
Once I had realised that I can’t control other people's thoughts and actions, I decided to focus more on leading by example, providing guidance and gentle invitations to ways of doing things. This approach to life and business was far less painful! I wouldn’t stress out when someone didn’t listen or do something “right”. I would simply honour the learning process, provide guidance and unconditional love.
It was the discovery of unconditional love and acceptance of what is, that provided me with more positive energy to invest my time into things that made a positive difference.
It’s been almost three and a half years since Renee and I started to share the benefits of essential oils. And in this adventure, we’ve not only found our purpose, but we’ve also created amazing relationships with beautiful people along the way.
In business, we’ve learned that leading with love and showing empathy towards people and their needs is the only way to do business.
As Louise Hay says in her life-changing novel, I Can Do It, “I’ve never understood the concept of cutthroat business, where you try to cheat and put one over on the other person. That doesn’t sound like a joyous way to live. There’s so much abundance in this world – all we need to do is recognise that fact and share the wealth.”
Connecting With Others
In order to have a healthy relationship with the people in our business we always make an effort to connect with them as people, listen to them and get to know them personally. We’ve taken an interest in them as much as their business relationship. Isn’t this a contrast to the saying “You don’t mix business with pleasure”!?
Overcoming Fear
There is one more major realisation that I wanted to share that has helped me and others focus on purpose. This principle has allowed us to invest more time and energy into positive activities that make a difference. It’s simple, “Stop worrying about what other people think.” After reading Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, I took away two reminders of this powerful concept for myself that I also share with others;
- “To be successful, you need to learn to overcome your fear of being rejected and to stop worrying about what other people say and think about you.”
- “What you think of me is none of my business. What is most important is what I think about myself.”
In conclusion, I truly believe that purpose can only be found when we are open and engaged in life. And true purpose needs to be felt within us, align with all of our beliefs and values. It needs to ignite our soul fire. It feels so right that nothing else matters and nothing will stop you from pursuing your dreams. I hope I have provided you with some insight to purpose and I wish for you to find yours too.
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