ARE YOU JOURNEYING INTO THE UNKNOWN?

Jim Doyle

The sound of my father shouting in distress woke me up from a deep sleep. I was shaking and frightened. It was the early hours of the morning. I was on holiday in the Channel Islands, 700 miles as the crow flies from my father and my family home. Specifically, it led to my later entrepreneurial path followed by a complete change into personal development.

I now use those unimagined skills to help business leaders and entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls I made and to clear their self-doubt and procrastination.

I see personal growth rather than renewal as the key to our effectively moving forward in the present Covid-19 climate.

According to Merriam-Webster: Renewal is “to make like new: restore to freshness, vigour, or perfection” Growth is “a stage or condition in increasing, developing, or maturing”

Perfection as we used to know it, is no longer relevant. However, personal growth can propel us forward to handle new challenges in new positive ways.

Next day, feeling extremely vulnerable, I acquired a pocketful of coins to call the international operator to call the village shop near my home to check if anything was wrong.

My family home had been completely destroyed by fire during the night. Fortunately my family were safe.

That was a turning point for me.

Somehow I “knew” something in a way which did not fit with anything I had learned.

I was in my early twenties. Excited, exploring, learning. A ‘normal’ life ahead as an electronics engineer. This experience triggered a mixture of fear, excitement, and curiosity.

That was the beginning of my journey into the unknown. It shaped my life. It led to personal growth and changes in my life which I could never have anticipated. Every situation has a new meaning compared to 12 months ago. You and I have found it necessary to find new emotional and mental resources to manage our state during this extraordinary time. As I did many years ago, we are all now entering into the unknown

My career evolved well over the years It was exciting and progressive, but there was

always an underlying awareness about the deeper aspects of life.

I learned dowsing – that is the use of rods or a pendulum used to find water and especially, to answer questions which could not logically be known. Dowsing perfectly complemented my curiosity and became a key part of my skill set many years later.

Climbing the corporate career ladder had been hard, yet I loved the work I did, it really was like climbing a mountain, the experience was worth every step. The peak of my career was 2 years before redundancy. I had reached a stage of dissatisfaction and emptiness. Let’s say it no longer made my heart sing. Redundancy was both exciting and frightening. Another corporate career did not appeal, I had wanted to “do my thing” for several years. Now the possibility was real!

I had no idea how far I was venturing into the unknown again. I thought I knew the way forward but made a false start.

It hurt.

Then I established a small business focused on my specialist design skills with a small team.

Some years later I formed a separate partnership in a similar business sector. Those years were often distressing. Not because of

In the corporate world there is an invisible support network around you. Love it or hate it, it is there and it supports you. From sales and marketing, through to accounting and admin. There is usually a way to achieve an outcome from somebody whom you may not realise is effectively an expert in their field relative to you.

That is why I find Collaboration Global a great community to be part of, as each have their genius in their own way and are willing to help.

A family of specialists with a culture that is the complete antithesis of the corporate world. told. My business definitely suffered. My experiences and insights were extraordinary and life changing.

There was still a deep inner emptiness, a search for answers, yet I could not state the question if asked.

On a weekend energy healing event, I realised I had to do a three-year training. Now that really was jumping into the unknown! I knew I had to train for three years, I was deeply driven; I knew I had to do it. I did not know why. There were many questions without answers.

In an SME or entrepreneurial role, that support is missing, you are wearing so many hats, you can’t name them all. You do not have the necessary skills or time to fill those roles, unless you contract them out

Back then, social media had yet to evolve, even now, does social media provide the answers?

I fell into probably every pitfall that every business owner does. Plagued by self-doubt and procrastination. I was on another journey into the unknown. If only I knew then what I know now…

I simply kept moving forward step by step like every other entrepreneur. I developed an annoying minor health issue. The recommended solution by a consultant was not acceptable. My next decision was another huge leap into the unknown. But I did not know it! A visit to a mind body soul exhibition was exciting and puzzling. I met a fascinating person and experienced powerful energy or chi for the first time. I decided to work with them.

It started out to supposedly resolve my minor health issue. I then went through a deep process to address what was happening from my ancestors. If you live in the West, this may sound strange. In the Orient it is familiar.

An inner crisis arose, I could not fully understand what I was experiencing or what I was being Following my instincts was the best thing I could have done. Then my next inner journey of conflict began. Practising my healing training on others resulted in their 10 year plus health issues rapidly disappearing. That experience was incredibly exciting, but it was terrifying. Who was I to help people make changes like this? This was self-doubt and procrastination at the highest levels.

A business is a reflection of its creator’s consciousness. My business was not performing well. I had gone way past the point of transition and no return.

Now, many years later I have integrated my training and experience to create the business that fits my transformed and conscious being. I now identify, measure and clear the root causes of low performance for businesses and business leaders because I have done it for myself first and have developed the skills to take people on that journey too.

What insights or advice do I have?

As an entrepreneur, there are several key points I learned the hard way which affect how we stay on target. Particularly if you are from a corporate career background.

• The greatest challenge is you • Not the conscious you who wrote the business plan • The one who had doubts and uncertainties • That is your entrepreneur’s saboteur • It is not the technology, the market, the cashflow or the customers

• Your feelings and mindset determine the decisions you make • They also determine how you react to circumstances • They determine the limits to growth before your entrepreneur’s saboteur takes action

If you are procrastinating or struggling with success beyond reasonable expectations, are looking for renewal in your outlook and growth in your future I suggest these 5 basic questions you need to regularly ask yourself:

All are rated 0 to 10 where 10 is a great result. 0 is not.

Answers scoring below 7 or 8 need to be addressed. It is not a science!

You know how you feel and think.

Simply have an internal chat with yourself.

Don’t be too serious, be like a young child.

My recommendations are:

How to ask the questions:

Take your choice of quiet time.

That means no phone calls or social media for If your mind is overflowing with interference, you really need to re-complete this exercise. Simply hold the question in mind, without expectation and be aware of what answers appear.

• Take a walk in nature with your phone set to do not disturb. • Yoga or meditation • A quiet 15 minutes before going to sleep while thinking about the question.

1. How much do I want to succeed in this business? 2. How good is my relationship with the business? 3. Is this limiting belief my own? (It may be parental, perhaps cultural or somebody else’s) 4. Is this procrastination mine? 5. What is my relationship with money? The answers may surprise you. They certainly surprised me! Let your inner higher self, lead you wisely forward.

To your success on your business journey.

You can contact Jim at:

Email: jim@differentlight.org Telephone: 07711 330211 Website: www.differentlight.org