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Why teaching (and art) are actually about sharing what YOU need to hear

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Jessica Swift for one of our upcoming design courses, and among the many fascinating things she talked about, one thing really stuck with me. I asked her where her paintings and designs – particularly those that feature words – come from, and she said “Actually, they tend to reflect things that I need to hear at that time. And because they come from a very true place, they seem to connect strongly with other people who also need to hear those things.”

This made me think a lot about the things we share, do, guide and teach here at Do What You Love. Our upcoming flagship course ‘Do What You Love’ is based on many years of pushing boundaries, taking risks, challenging norms and creating a mindset of possibility, combined with making conscious choices and taking action. That really comes from a place of experience, having made lots of mistakes and unexpected turns along the way. But even with something which is at the very heart of who I am, what I believe and how I live my life, every single time we run the course, something in it reminds me of something I need to hear at that very moment.

And it’s even more true with the free resources we give away. I wrote the Real Wild Bio as ‘the ultimate resume’ when I was struggling to articulate my own crazy journey in a way which truly showed who I was, instead of listing all the job titles I had been given. Zen and the Art of Doing What You Love (also available as email-based Zen for Ten) was created while I was on a sabbatical in Japan, taking a much needed break from hectic times early in the business where I did nearly everything myself.

Our New Year’s Revolution kit came out of a need to make real plans rather than empty resolutions, and we came up with Making Time last year when it felt life was rushing past so fast we could hardly think. Ironically we had to delay it by a month because we didn’t have time to finish it as planned – it was worth the wait!)

More recently we worked with Frances Booth to develop the Winter Writing Workshop, in no small part because we have a book we want to get into the world but it always seems to get pushed aside by other things.

Of course we try to bring you resources that YOU really need too, but it is interesting to reflect how we needed them just as much at the time they were created. And I think that is one of the most precious gifts of teaching or ‘guiding’ others. You get to research and explore something which is really important to your own growth at that time, and in doing so create something which has real value, because you have used it yourself and appreciate its worth.

Which makes me think how every single one of us has something to teach, because every single one of us deals with issues, obstacles and uncertainties every single day. What about you? What could you teach?

Teaching isn’t about knowing everything or being perfect. It’s about asking the right questions, guiding, listening and sharing your experience and perspective, knowing that there is real value in that. In some cases, when you have very extensive knowledge of a particular area, it might be about sharing what you wish had been available when you were at an earlier stage of your career. But in every case it’s about opening other people’s eyes to new ideas and possibility, and often in doing so you offer just what you need to hear.

This week we’d like to challenge you to consider what YOU could teach – whether formally through a course or workshops, or informally through simple conversation and enquiry – and think about how that could benefit both you and others.

Which brings me onto our latest free resource – The Do What You Love Guide to Blogging. Writing and publishing your own blog is another fantastic way to express yourself, sharing what you need to hear on a platform that allows others to hear it too. Personally the rewards that have come from blogging have been huge, and somewhat unexpected. Not only business benefits these days, but back in the beginning it led to confidence, creativity and even friendships. Why not start a blog today, or if you already have one, give it some love. Download our guide HERE and get going today!

Beth and team

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PS We are honoured and delighted to announce a stellar lineup of new guest expert columnists for the Do What You Love blog. Meet them here, and keep an eye out for their regular thought-provoking articles in the coming weeks!

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