By Jeff Baird, Sunrise Reiki Colorado ♥
In just under three years, I have walked away from five jobs. The irony is that I was an executive recruiter and career consultant in my younger years. I never would have recommended five resignations in 36 months to any of my clients. However, this was before Reiki found me, and helped me discover my real purpose in life. It has taken some time to get here, but Reiki is now my full- time job. I became Reiki Level I in January of 2012. But, as I write this, I still have a sense of “Finally!” It feels so good to allow room for Reiki to grow in my life. Every day is such an adventure as I do the work that I love to do.
Now, when people ask me what I do for a living, without hesitation, my response is, “I own a Reiki healing center.” That wasn’t always the case. My response used to be something along the lines of, “I sell this, that and the other thing, and also do Reiki on the side.” But, now Reiki is front and center where it rightfully belongs. For me, this amazing gift needs to be in the spotlight, rather than on the sidelines. Reiki deserves my full attention.
Last year my wife said to our kids, “He’s not going to be happy until he’s doing Reiki full time.” So true. This has not been an easy three years for her. I have always been the major bread winner. She is on disability, and only works part time at a local senior center, where I do monthly Reiki treatments for their residents. We survived bankruptcy in the 90’s when I last pursued the self-employment route. But, things are much different this time. My wife and I have Reiki with us, and we agree that this is our time. We have learned to trust at a higher level.
So, how did I get to this point in my life? In May, 2015 I took a three month leave of absence to help my wife heal from Fibromyalgia. Those 90 days transformed our lives as we healed together and embraced the shifts that were taking place. When I returned to work, it was obvious that my priorities had changed. This was the highest paying job I had ever had, and a position that many would consider a dream job. But, I walked away shortly after returning. I find it so comforting when I speak to other successful Reiki practitioners who have similar stories to share, as they too followed their calling. I first wrote about this in my article, “We Become Reiki,”which appeared in the Summer, 2016 issue of Reiki News Magazine.
After resigning, I contacted the man who had hired me at the company mentioned above. He had since moved onto another organization. I took a six figure pay cut, but was able to work out of the house, rather than travel all of the time, as I had been doing previously. Leaving my wife and our mountain home on a frequent basis no longer appealed to me. The new job was less than exciting, but it was a steady paycheck. I gave it my best shot, had some success, and then resigned 16 months later.
During this time, I was doing Reiki part time, and even had a beautiful office for my treatments and classes. A woman had read one of my Reiki articles in a local publication, and then offered me the office space for roughly a year and a half – rent free. She owned many commercial real estate properties. We had discussed doing a trade out, but that never really materialized into anything consistent after about 4 or 5 treatments. I was so grateful as I refined my classes and treatments during this time. Reiki saved me from the boredom with my day job. Often, I wondered to myself, “How can I do Reiki full time?” At that time, it seemed impossible to me.
As mentioned, I had resigned again, and accepted a new position to build and lead a sales team for an exciting new company. This organization was in the same industry as the company I resigned from after taking my leave of absence. I thought I would give it the good old college try and lead a team, while incorporating the Reiki principles that had changed my life. I was excited about the possibilities and then walked away after 60 days. Things were not as they appeared. During those two months, I had ignored the red flags and funny gut feelings. But, I reached a point where I could no longer ignore the fact that joining this company was not in my best interests. I needed to make yet another move. My wife was less than thrilled with this most recent turn of events, but we worked through it together. My Dad used to say to me, “If it was easy, anybody could do it.” Indeed.
Reiki makes everything very black and white for me as gray areas disappear. Things either flow with me or they don’t. From the outside, it may have appeared that I was flaky and job hopping. But, deep down, I just knew that bigger and better things were waiting for me. The pull I felt to spend more time with Reiki could not be ignored. I offered treatments beginning at 4:30 p.m. each day, and occasionally taught Reiki classes on weekends. Reiki was still very much a part time commitment for me.
I then joined a local newspaper as an advertising sales consultant. My publishing background is extensive, and in a way, I felt like I was getting back to my roots. The financial rewards were very limited, but the owner and I had discussed me taking over the paper in a couple of years. My goal was to get more involved with the local community, share my marketing expertise with small business owners and write about Reiki in each issue. Once again, in spite of the paper’s warm, fuzzy and positive tagline, things were not as they seemed. I almost resigned after just one month, but instead I chose to stick it out and hope for the best. I met a number of great people, helped them with their marketing efforts, and shared my Reiki stories in each issue. I accomplished exactly what I had set out to do.
After 10 months at the paper, I accepted an offer from an organic products company. The financial possibilities were better, and their pain relief products were in alignment with my mission to relieve others of their pain. I just left this organization about a month ago to pursue my Reiki and consulting business full time. Finally!
As I mentioned during my Reiki Currents interview, I felt I owed it to Reiki and to my spiritual guides who have made it very clear to me that my mission as a healer is my calling, and something that I should embrace. Over the years, I have represented many organizations and helped many people surpass their goals and achieve success. Now, with Reiki as my full-time business partner, we are offering healing programs for businesses, individuals and their animals. Everything expands, and I am allowing plenty of room for Reiki to grow and show me the way on my spiritual journey. This is definitely a full-time job and one that I will not be walking away from.