I had one of those conversations with a friend recently in which he was wondering out loud about what the point of it all is. Now don’t panic…this is not ‘suicidal ideation over a cuppa’ kind of stuff … no this is the regular existential crises that many of us experience about what it is we’re doing with our lives as opposed to what perhaps we should be doing, or as a good psychologist might frame it asking ourselves the question, ‘do my values align with my actions & choices in life?’. Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s where we live but I find this is a conversation that’s coming up increasingly regularly amongst friends, colleagues and clients.
The wrestle between being V doing, earning V giving and perhaps money V meaning is such an age-old one and I think particularly pertinent to people in our profession. We’ve chosen the road less travelled, we’ve opted for a career that (chances are..) we knew was likely to earn less (money, respect, fame! 😉 ) than a lot of other paths we could have chosen and yet most of us hold the almost endangered position of being able to say, “I love what I do”.
I am all for naturopaths & integrative health professionals being more appropriately paid & recognised for our skills & contributions both to individual & public health – because whether you’re in private practice or working in retail, education, research or any other area, it’s your contribution along with thousands of other like-minded individuals that means that naturopathic medicine is really taking its rightful place in mainstream consciousness & changing behaviours & belief systems, however, I think we do need to keep remembering that the gains of our work are not merely fiscal. Every time I talk with someone – whether it’s a client, a practitioner, a member of the public – I have the potential to improve people’s health & wellbeing…even if it’s something as simple as getting fibre on their radar, more vegetables on their plate, or even just helping them to make that very basic connection between what they do (eat, drink, exercise, work, stress, medicate or take) & how they ultimately feel.
After having this chat with my friend, I thought, perhaps our profession, more than many, does really offer both…money and meaning. Like all balancing acts, it’s a dynamic thing…sometimes leaning too far one way (oh crap…all my giving and not enough earning this month!) and sometimes the other (ok so my income looks good from supplement sales but I’m missing the satisfaction of seeing clients & making a real difference in their lives), but I think potentially we can have it all.
Anyway that’s my ramble for today…hope it helps someone! 🙂