To Niles

I was sitting in a bar in Seattle yesterday and had the good fortune of chatting with Niles Peacock who was working the bar. First off, he was unusual in that he had incredible eye-contact with me and everyone sitting at the bar. He suggested a Vodka Martini which I hadn't drunk for a long time and glad I was tempted. More to the point, he was talking about creating an experience for and with customers that was, in itself, a masterclass in co-creating and engagement. We found out that Niles was a trained fashion designer and that his first love is creative work- but, it's hard to earn a living doing what he loves the most and I paraphrase what he then said:

'Since it's hard to earn a living doing creative work...I decided to throw myself into this work- afterall, if I am doing this for a living, I would like to give it my best shot- otherwise, what's the point?'

So it was a massive lesson for me when, earlier that day, I was thinking about the sort of work I love to do- deep change, personal development, true engagement, enabling individuals and groups to be free and have courage to go for their 'truths'....that to earn a living, it is necessary to join in with more mainstream work. The difference between me and Niles is that I have yet to 'true up' to this reality and be able to fully occupy this reality with no resentment and sense of compromise. I don't know how this can come about- two options present themselves at the moment- separation between what I love and what I do well and/ or, let go of ideals and flow with whatever presents itself now.