I firmly believe that when we commit to living in our truth, we are supported by the Universe. Our lives, including our life’s work, become more aligned with the truth of who we are. Our lives are not fragmented as they often are in our youth.
I left my full-time academic career in 2010 and developed my consulting business. Shortly thereafter, I pursued what was really in my heart, which is coaching and leadership training with a focus on cultivating greater compassion and awareness in the workplace. I had experienced inspiring leadership in my time at the universities, and some leadership which was less so. I wanted to learn more about how to cultivate my own leadership effectiveness and coach leaders to be both inspiring and effective so I undertook extensive training in coaching and leadership effectiveness.
As I explain in my book: Everything is Going to be Oaky: From the Projects to Harvard to Freedom, the universe set forth a trajectory of change in my life beginning with an accident in February 2005. The deep spiritual journey that I embarked on one year later through my work with the Enneagram Institute continues today with my work with the Diamond Heart school and the work that I bring into the world.
Although, I look back with fondness on my first career as a public health dentist―and especially on my colleagues who selflessly contribute to improving the health of the public―the work that I do today is what I really believe is my life’s work. I no longer separate my work from who I am, or feel like I have to ignore or abandon my heart in order to achieve greatness in the eyes of others.
My work now is heart-centered and aligned with my true self. Service and heart-centered leadership have always been a part of my life, however, that service and leadership now take the form of guiding others to live more peaceful and fulfilling lives by understanding, with compassion, their personality patterns and superego messages. It gives me a deep sense of joy and gratitude when I see my clients make lasting changes in their lives and their leadership approach. When they understand themselves more deeply and have compassion for themselves, their lives take on a whole new meaning, and the effects of living from their truth ripple out into their work, their relationships, and their communities. When I work with leaders in a corporate or non-profit setting, I help them lead from a place of authenticity, compassion, and Basic Trust, to the benefit of their entire organization.
I’m at a place professionally where it feels that my true self is at the forefront of what I do and how I live. This is a very peaceful way to live and to serve, and it’s what can happen for all of us when we live this shift from our false selves to our true selves, and integrate this new way of thinking, seeing the world, and serving into our daily life. This is truly an authentic life, and I firmly believe that this is how I am here to serve.
Most profound of all the changes I’ve made in my life since my accident, however, is my shift back to the state of Basic Trust, a knowing that the Universe guides and supports me. Since I have made the shift away from my false self to my true self, I now live in that state of peaceful trust every single day, and the message that “everything is going to be okay” is the guiding force of my life.
That’s not to say that I don’t still have moments of feeling challenged; I certainly do. In recent years, I’ve weathered the ongoing health crises of someone I love dearly, a house fire, and the death of a good friend, to name just a few. Each time I’m tempted to slip back into my old behavior patterns of overdoing in response to stress, I remind myself that, although every day is not going to be filled with bliss bunnies and rainbows, everything really is going to be okay. When I find myself feeling overwhelmed with the grief, sadness, or anxiety about what to do next, I remind myself that I am fully supported by the Universe. I find a quiet spot within me to reconnect to the silence and the trust that all will be well.
As human beings, much of our suffering comes from not accepting reality and trying to change the external circumstances of our lives before we’ve extracted their internal lessons. I spent much of my life and career doing precisely that: trying to change and outrun my childhood trauma. But, as I’ve discovered, running from or ignoring what is rarely results in anything productive. In fact, it often means running in exactly the opposite direction from what your true, essential self actually wants, which is wholeness, integration, forgiveness, and peace.
With my shift to a more spiritual life has come a much greater focus on what is happening internally. My reactions, my emotions, my desires, my hopes and dreams, and my connection to truth are so much more real than my prior life of high achieving. I’m not trying to say that we shouldn’t strive for goals or set high standards. But if those outer trajectories are not balanced by inner wisdom, we will default to our habitual, ego-based patterns. When this happens, we cannot live authentically, or on purpose. We will be passengers on the runaway train of our false self.
All of the work that I’ve done on my own personal development allows me to integrate a deep belief and total trust into my life, and to share it with others. I recognize that it took me many years to come to this place and I know that every human being can live with the knowing of Basic Trust.
© 2018. Dr. Catherine Hayes, CPCC. Excerpt from Everything is Going to be Okay: From the Projects to Harvard to Freedom, Inspired Living Publishing.
