So, I had a problem with a friend years ago and I never wrote about it - without going into the details, when I was a student I had a lot more fun and made good friends (which was one of my primary interests). The people who share your interests become your friends. When this becomes your job, as it did for me, the people who share your interests could be your friends, but they often turn into competitors. And that gets sticky. I have found myself experiencing a lot of the frictions that I used to have in the corporate world, and it's because at the end of the day, even if we run spiritual businesses, we are still all human. So let's say you're really into runes or tarot or crystals or chakras - and you want to teach a class on that. Other teachers may not like that...
I used to address this by doing a bit of a tribute to friends who were into spiritual themes where I didn't work professionally (yet) but that I was very interested in. When I would start posting about those themes or doing a class, some would respond well (most did). Eventually I realized that I didn't want to do tributes anymore, and I stopped. It wasn't the best strategy, in hindsight it was not the best friendship dynamic either. I think it was survival strategy, especially after I had push back on one of the themes that I wanted to write about, and on my social media posts. Spirituality is a business now and that’s ok, but for some of us, it's also a way of life. I suppose it is hard to know, when I post something on social media, will they think it's for my business, or that I am interested in that topic? I still approach what I post online as sharing what I am into, and what I have learned, and what I am doing at the moment. I only consider the classes that I teach, and energy healing sessions as my business. If it's a class, a ton of time goes into prepping it. If it's a Facebook post, it might be a thought that went through my mind. If it's a one-to-one session with clients, the energy healing technique will be one that I spent a lot of time training myself, to be able to offer that service.
For me, there isn't a big difference between what I research, what I study for pure enjoyment and what could turn into a business or work opportunity. Right now I have not monetized most of it - the things I post about are my way of getting my thoughts out there. I did find it jarring when I had strong push back on my social media and blog posts, because it was seen as moving into someone else's terrain.
It's to be expected, but you do have to push right back. And if it's clear that a particular person has an issue, it's best not to mention them, nor to build on what we might have learned from them. I went back to delete a few instagram and blog posts that referenced certain colleagues.
Thinking out loud,
Regina
