A few months ago, I left my well-paying, full-time job to commit myself to my Spiritual Coaching business. A month later, I relocated to Maui, Hawaii which brought even more change. Today I am sitting in the energetic aftermath of these recent changes. Some of them happened easily. Frankly, getting used to living in Hawaii was easy. But other things have been more challenging. What has proven particularly tricky is my definition of productivity and my relationship to work.

For most of us, we have grown up in a world filled with programming about productivity, work, our self-worth and DOING. For most of my life, I played the game. I was a top student in school. I was a leader in every club you could think of. I earned my business degree, two master’s degrees, and I am even completing my PhD now. I’ve worked hard in jobs, earned promotions, gotten raises. I’ve been recognized for my contributions to organizations and my ability to work my ass off. And for me, this all changed a few months ago.

I left it all to do my soul’s work—to help other people discover more about their own spiritual nature. I sought freedom. I wanted the ability to do what I felt called to do when I wanted to do it. And I’m learning a very important lesson: there is a shadow side to freedom at this level.

True freedom presents you with the shadow of your programming; the truth of your indoctrination into the human system. When you make a conscious choice to not let others (or societal programming) control your life, you are left with one stark truth: you are the only one who limits yourself. In fact, you are the only one who ever did.

Much of my day now looks like me doing what I want to when I want to. I let my body (and my spirit) tell me what to do. I wake up when my body says so. I meditate in the morning. I sit and reflect. I drink cacao. I relax in nature. I read. I write. I practice gratitude. I do a lot of internal, energetic work. And yes, I meet with clients. I write courses. I host workshops. I plan future projects. But I’ve noticed that I am hard on myself for not ‘being productive’ in the way I used to be. In the past, I wore many hats. I juggled emails, requests, and to-do lists up the wazoo. I was always producing. I was busy from sunup until sundown. And I am hard on myself now for not being this way. I catch myself thinking things like: “You run your own business now, you need to…” and “If you want to make money, you have to…” But this is all old programming. This paradigm is falling away.

Creation inspires me. People fulfilling their dreams inspires me. People living authentically and with integrity inspires me. In order for me to be this way in the world, my definition of productivity needs to change. Because the old way of being isn’t working for me. It only limits me as an entrepreneur. My daily “to dos” look vastly different because I am vastly different and what I am doing in the world is different now.

Taking the time to rest. Finding the time to be. Prioritizing my yoga and meditation practices. These are all necessary for me as part of my energetic maintenance of my new level of work. I cannot sustain the type of work I do and be as busy as I was in the past. I won’t have anything to offer. My business requires me to Be. It requires that I stop doing incessantly for the sake of being busy and only do when I am inspired or when the moment calls for it. And even though I know this well, I am still dealing with old programming on a daily basis. These expectations of what I should be doing sneak in when I least expect it.

I share all of this because I know there are others out there dealing with and experiencing similar shifts in their professional lives. Our old ways of being are unsustainable and frankly, unhealthy. And we know this. The world doesn’t get the best of us when we are not operating from our sovereign state—our true place of Being. So, we must honor what we need. We must honor the need to slow down. We must honor new ways of working and producing that recognizes the nature of our humanity first.

If you are someone out there going through a similar experience and learning to embody this, I see you. The world needs you. Let these old limits and expectations go. You are a badass. Period. You don’t need to do anything to prove that.

Today is the full moon in Capricorn highlighting areas of our lives that are all about our soul’s work, purpose, and our responsibilities. Capricorn energy is very potent for re-evaluating the structures of our lives and our foundations. It is perhaps not surprising today then that I would have this lightbulb moment of realization in the middle of my meditation event. If you feel into it, you might have your own realization too.

Take some time today to reflect on what is most important to you. Commit to doing only when you are acting from your sovereign state of Being. And notice when old patterns step in. Don’t judge. Just notice. The world needs you to rewrite your own story of productivity and worth because, frankly, the old story doesn’t honor you for who you are.

Aloha,

Cam

Cameron Martin is a Spiritual Coach and Intuitive Astrologer specializing in soul-centered leadership coaching and spiritual development practices. You can find his work at yourpathandpurpose.com.

If this message resonated with you, please share this with others and feel free to reach out to me directly (cameron@yourpathandpurpose.com).