Competition in Spiritual Businesses
I saw a quote by Mark Manson on Facebook a few days ago: “Boundaries only piss off the people who benefited from you having none.” It got me thinking about how we manage personal and professional relationships. In tandem, I’m taking an Internal Family Systems psychology class that guides us through recurring relationship themes in our lives - what part of you relates to others in different situations. I’m not a psychologist, but it helps a lot to look at our patterns. Otherwise we get stuck.
I have found myself experiencing a lot of the frictions that I used to see in the corporate world. At the end of the day, even if we run spiritual businesses, we are still human. Let's say you are into runes or angels or essential oils or chakras - and you want to teach a class on that. Or blog about that. Other teachers might not like it. Endless abundance exists in theory only. Or maybe it’s about security and percentage of visibility. I had push back after branching out.
My Conflict Avoidant Part
I stood my ground, but also tried to fix it by doing a bit of a tribute to friends and colleagues who focused on themes that I wasn’t pursuing professionally but that I was interested in, personally. For example, if I was talking about runes in class, I would mention so and so - as in, take their class. When I began posting about those themes online, or offering a class, most of my colleagues responded well.
Eventually I realized that I don’t want to do tributes, and I stopped. It wasn't the best approach as it kept me from owning my experience, and in hindsight, it was not the best friendship dynamic. I think it was a coping mechanism, after I had push back for sharing my interests in online forums. Spirituality is a business now, and that’s ok, but it’s also a way of life.
Personal growth is not about staying in your lane
I share tons of things online. When I post a picture - is it there to catch potential customers eyes, or just that I am interested in the topic? Both should be OK. Unfortunately, it's inevitable to step on people’s toes.
I want to write about things I am into - you have to let that guide you. It’s part of being authentic and it makes it fun too. There isn't a huge difference between what I research, what I study for fun and what could turn into a business opportunity someday. Blogging is my way of getting ideas out there. Social media is different; it gets you out there, in front of people. That was hard to navigate.
We have to maintain our boundaries.
In the holistic world, there is sometimes a feeling that themes belong to people; they don’t. The general themes belong to everyone, but the application can be unique to each practitioner. That is where our creativity and inner knowledge come into the picture. If a teacher shares something that shapes your approach, and you stay with them for a long time - that is one thing.
I had put myself in a hierarchical situation where peers had seniority, and from a sales point of view, they did. Having lots of energy healing experience on my end, but not having the local market base and exposure was also where some of the friction came in. I did tributes to some of my colleagues if I drifted into their lanes, but really, it's OK to post about astrology, or tarot, or sound healing, or reiki, or angels etc. The practitioner is the differentiator, not the global theme. Vibe matters too.
Taking a step back
So much of what people share is common knowledge, and that needs to be out there too. But uniqueness is where your power lies. Looking back, I did a lot to bring this dynamic on myself - down playing my experience, to not show off. I take responsibility for that. I was still in my student identity. The beginners mind was part of what made this blog fun and successful.
I can only edit myself and move forward, exploring things that I am interested in. If that bothers people, it’s not my problem anymore.
It was easier to set boundaries in the corporate world, as the friend dynamic wasn’t so muddled, and visibility wasn’t such a threat. Self-promotion isn't one of my strong points LOL. Even in the corporate world, that was one of my 'growth opportunities'... let’s say I want more reach, and I do, that doesn’t mean I want to take it from someone. Blue oceans (new territories) and all #MarketingLife.
This is the only ongoing process that I hadn't blogged about.
Reiki hugs,
Regina 🖤🤍🖤
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Regina Chouza is an energy healer, astrologer and author of A Personal Guide to Self-Healing, Cancer & Love and Chakra Healing & Magick. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Tufts University and an MBA from IPADE - focusing on ethics, finance and leadership. Regina’s passion is bringing self-love, joy and empowerment to healing pursuits. Read her books to awaken your intuition and channel energy healing. Available on Amazon.