3 lessons in personal and professional growth (with more ease)
It’s a wild and wonderful thing that my own journey towards personal growth has become the catalyst for my professional path. And when the two collide, there are some deep and profound lessons learned.
While we all need to grow in our own way and time, wisdom that comes from other’s life experiences can act as a sort of ‘grounding’ beneath our feet. It may not make life ‘easy,’ but it certainly can create a bit more clarity, discernment, and yes, ease, along the way.
LESSON 1: I didn’t say it would be easy… I said it would be worth it.
Bringing our full self to the world is often easier said than done because stepping into our truest calling and highest expression of leadership brings up our deepest fears.
we fear rejection
we fear being misunderstood
we fear making the wrong choice
we fear being exposed as a fraud
And I won’t lie to you…some (or all) of those things could happen. You may meet your fear, it may go horribly ‘wrong,’ you may fall. But what I know in my bones is this, bringing my full self to the world hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it.
From what I can tell, life is both messy and marvelous no matter how you decide to go about it, so you might as well choose what's really calling to the deepest parts of you.
LESSON 2: When in doubt, let them have it, surrender, make peace.
(side note: when there’s no doubt…do the same)
This is not about giving up or giving in, it’s simply about giving.
I learned this back in 2017, the hard way, through a conflict with a friend (who was also a client). I moved through the disagreement with as much grace as I could at the time. I felt right. She felt right. We couldn’t find common ground. I held on tight. She held on tight. There were tears shed and fingers pointed. In the end, neither of us felt good and we both doubted ourselves.
I talked it through with a mentor and was able to get clear on what I wanted more than anything else, ‘peace.’
I was tired of battling and trying to make someone ‘see it my way.’ So I did just that, I made peace with myself and where I could have shown up better and I made peace with my friend and where she could have shown up better.
The relationship was still severed, yet, rather than regret, shame, and anger left in the dust of this aftermath, there was peace, respect, and mutual understanding.
LESSON 3: An ‘experiment mindset’ is your path to more easeful growth.
Working for myself (and my community), putting my ideas and voice into the world, and birthing new projects into the world has not been ‘easy.’ It has taken courage, perseverance, and support. But most importantly, it has taken me finding a way to stay in the process, rather than the outcome.
It took me creating a way of being that was both ‘in the game’ and ‘in the moment.’
In the end, it wasn’t some savvy business strategy that allowed me to do what I did, it was a mindset.
A few years back I was launching a new program into the world. I was coming up against all sorts of hiccups. My mentor at the time reminded me that it was to be expected and to remember to think of this as an experiment, because truth be told, that’s what it was.
Anything we do for the first time is an experiment.
If we lose sight of this we risk showing up as perfectionists…
We wait too long
We compare ourselves to others
We give up before we really get started
We become too attached to the outcome
We get wrapped up in a certain way it’s ‘suppose to be’
We embark in ‘busy work’ (rather than deep work) to feel a sense of control, only leaving us feeling depleted
We start to feel more and more…
tight, rather than expansive.
worried, rather than curious.
stuck, rather than creative.
We lose sight of what all truly successful people know in their bones…there are no failures, only feedback.
So I stayed the course and approached my new project like an experiment. I embodied ‘the scientist’ rather than ‘the perfectionist.’ I had outcomes I hoped for (a hypothesis), yet, I stayed focused on the process and curious about the outcome. I created ‘pivot’ plans and I stayed deeply connected to my ‘why’ for embarking on this journey in the first place.
I finally gave myself permission to grow with more ease and for the first time…I was truly present for all of it.
If you live in the Reno/Tahoe area and you’re looking for a supportive community to grow within (personally and/or professionally), then I highly encourage you join: Boundless: A 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training + Mindfulness-Based Leadership Program.
Early enrollment ends Friday, August 20th.
BOUNDLESS:
A 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training + Mindfulness-Based Leadership Program
This training will be of the highest quality (in past trainings, I’ve had students receiving their first certificate, to yoga teachers already with a 200 or 500-hour certificate, along with chiropractors, therapists, bodyworkers, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs of all walks). QUALITY is everything to me in a training.
Here are some of the tools we’ll be exploring in-depth over this 4-month journey:
Pedagogy of Yoga, including trauma-informed approaches (the method and practice of teaching) - you will be taught HOW to facilitate and hold space with skill, grace, and creativity
Confidence building and communication skill enhancement/ Public speaking for yoga teachers
The business of yoga (everything from writing books to teaching at festivals, virtually, retreats, and so on)! Most YTT’s barely touch on the business aspect. Many of my YTT graduates have gone on to create full-time careers in the health and wellness industry.
The art of sequencing and enhancements
The art of YOU as a teacher/creator/facilitator
Intuition development
Shadow work
Energy work
Breathwork (beyond the basics! - we will go DEEP here!)
Mantra
Mudra
Fascia
Ayurveda
And all of this will be steeped in powerful ritual, play, and purpose.
“Amber Campion’s yoga teacher-training program had the most profound impact on my life, more far-reaching than I could have imagined. I feel confident in my ability to teach a quality, yet even more importantly, safe yoga class; as well, I feel very eager to share the practice of yoga with my community. I felt that each subject in the YA syllabus was touched on in-depth and the knowledge I left with (beyond asana) was immense. I was able to integrate many new healthier habits into my daily life and new ways of thinking for a healthier and more confident me, thanks to the inspiration from Amber and this teacher training.”
— GRACE REMKE (YTT GRADUATE)
We begin October 1st (early bird pricing ends THIS FRIDAY, August 20th).
NOT LOCAL TO ME?
For my 'devotees to depth' that do not live near me...do not fret, more virtual offerings will be available soon! The next one coming up is Wednesday, August 25th (5-7pm PDT), join us for a 2-hour Somatic Breathwork Healing Experience from the comfort of your home. Bring your journal as we'll do some reflective writing before we begin the breathwork. Drop-ins are usually $39, but I'm offering it for $30 this month: ENROLL HERE This space is a wonderful container of release, insight, and remembering ourselves as holy, whole, and wise.
To Bringing Our Full Selves, to the World…Together,
PS. I'd love to know what you discovered from reading this article...share below.