Business of Sharing Your Gift

Author: Melissa Jean Quiter

If you are like me, you started your business because you care about people. You have a special gift that, when shared, can change people's lives for the better. You are not in this for the money or to buy lots of toys and extravagant "things". The point is to make a difference and serve a purpose. Many of us have stepped away from the corporate world - the RAT RACE - and are finding the peace we always knew was there. We are reconnecting with what is important.

There is only one problem..

Many of our business are not making it. We aren't paying the bills to stay afloat. We aren't sharing our gifts because we aren't reaching all those that are searching for our help. We are stuck in a paradox of needing money so we can share our gifts, but not wanting it to be about money!

So, why are so many, with amazing gifts to share, finding it impossible to keep their businesses open?

In my research of this community, and being a member of it, one of the key challenges I have found is the public's lack of awareness of what is available. The people who want and desire what holistic professionals have to offer -- massage therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, homeopathy, tarot readings, Reiki, life and business coaching, naturopathy.. and the list goes on - CAN'T find it. They don't have access to enough information on any given service to "know" if the one or two services they see listed in the phone book or referred by an acquaintance is the right one for them. They want more information than just a random referral or a listed phone number. They want to get to know you. People "buy" relationships.

There are thousands and thousands of people who are searching for holistic alternatives. The world is growing increasingly weary of the western mentality of over consumption -- bad food, bad habits, bad energy and living for what can be bought next. They are looking for ways to change. The self-development and mind, body, spirit movement is exploding. People cannot get enough of feeling good through natural pursuits. They are searching for new techniques, cutting-edge practices and accessible opportunities to get that good feeling on a regular basis.

So, what is the problem? Why is there this lack of awareness of those who seek holistic remedies when there are so many options to choose? Why aren't holistic business owners getting their names out there for people to find them?

When talking with holistic business owners and practitioners, the overriding sentiment I heard is, "I am not a business." It became very clear that buying into being a business implied buying into the rat race mentality and the corporate lifestyle.

This conscious and, more often subconscious, resistance is, actually, negating the true reason these businesses were started in the first place -- to help people. Promoting services and products that perpetuate cutting-edge thought, spiritual evolvement and personal and professional growth is imperative. The holistic community must pull together to get this information out. People new to these ideas need to hear and read and see these messages time and time again. The process of adopting new thoughts is based on repetition. New thoughts must have time to incubate as is stated in the Law of Gender - every seed must have an incubation period to realize its greatest potential. That incubation period for ideas and messages is repeated exposure from 12 to 17 times (depending on your message and medium of choice). When you promote your business - the gift you have to share - you allow those, who want and need you, a chance to connect. If Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer and the many amazing voices I have been blessed to discover over the last 10 years did not promote themselves, I would be lost. I would be stunted in my growth and evolution. But, far worse, I would feel completely alone on my holistic journey. I wouldn't know of the others on the same path as I. We wouldn't know of each other.

Taking your business seriously is taking the people who want what you offer seriously. A gift is only of value when it is shared. Each person who has a gift has been given an opportunity to make a difference. That opportunity must include letting people know who you are and how to find you.

The lack-based framework around money must be altered. As stated by Deepak Chopra so eloquently in his book "The Seven Spiritual Laws of the Success," The Law of Giving states that, "The universe operates through dynamic exchange. Giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. The word affluence means to flow in abundance."

Money is only a symbol. It is a symbol of an energy exchange. Our society is invested so heavily in tangibles that in order to"keep track" of the give and take of interaction, we created a symbol of the energy. However, it does not take away from the giving and receiving that is taking place. People want to spend money on things of value to them. Innately, it provides each of us the opportunity to do what feels natural. It is not a coincidence that money is called currency -- which means, "to flow." An energy exchange, be it money or bartering, keeps people in flow with the natural rhythm of the universe.

We, as members and supporters of the holistic community, must use the resources available to get the word out.