It was late on a Saturday afternoon and I’d just returned to my hotel in Melbourne, after running the first of four writing workshops I was holding around Australia.
I sat on my bed, energy coursing through my veins, my breath steady, my eyes bright, and I promptly burst into tears. This is what I’m meant to be doing, I thought to myself. This!
Never before had I felt so connected to my work, purpose and vision. I thought back to the morning; just hours before, I’d been in the same hotel room, feeling an intense mix of excitement, anticipation, tingles of fear and a deep drive and devotion to my dreams. And now, I’d done it. I’d done something new, expansive and so powefully on soul purpose that I thought I might burst with joy.
And all of it was only possible because I’d let myself pivot to honour my soul work.
When we allow ourselves to pivot, we allow ourselves to honour our soul work. Especially when that means saying ‘no’ to opportunities our past selves would have done a backflip for.
One morning I was sitting at my desk, waiting for a client to arrive. I received an email from a journalist, asking if I’d like to come on TV to speak about the dangers of eating bad fats, and how to incorporate more good fats into your diet.
I wanted to say ‘yes’ so badly … but I couldn’t. It had been years since I’d stopped focusing on nutrition and health in that way. Not only would I have had to brush up on my knowledge in order to be interviewed on television, I didn’t want my first TV appearance to be focused on something I was not passionate about and no longer focused on in my work.
I thought to myself: If I do this interview and it grows from there, I’ll start to become known for something I don’t love. I’ll start to be thought of as ‘that woman who spoke about trans fats on TV’ and that’s not at all what I want.
So I declined. But first, I mulled it over for a full day. Declining a live national TV interview was hard to do; as soon as I sent off my reply, I almost regretted it. But I knew that saying ‘no’ would keep the path clear for when I felt called to say ‘yes’—and for where I wanted to go.
Fast forward several years, and my first television appearance was to promote my second book. Now, that’s something I’m proud of. That’s something I truly wanted to do. That was something worth waiting for. And it was made possible because of the path I carved out for myself; the path that included saying ‘no’ when asked to appear on live national television on a Sunday night.
Had I let fear, lack or ego jump in, I would have said ‘yes’—out of a fear that saying no’ would ruin something for me, or that I’d upset the journalist; out of a sense of lack, that this might be my only chance to go on television to talk about my work; out of ego, thinking I should say ‘yes’ simply because I was asked to do something so big and exciting.
But I said ‘no’, because I wanted to be known for the work I loved doing the most.
Writing about food, health and nutrition was how I got my start writing media articles; my first-ever published article was in a weekly tabloid magazine, and it was about five foods to eat to ease bloating. Initially, I was overjoyed to be doing that work.
The requests started to roll in, and I was soon writing articles, commenting or providing quotes almost every week. This went on for several years, until the shift in my work. For quite a while after my shift from nutrition and naturopathy, into kinesiology and alignment work, I continued to receive requests from freelance writers, various media outlets and websites, asking for my comments on topics like The Top 10 Non-Dairy Nut Milks and 18 Superfoods You Must Eat Today.
To be honest, while I was still grateful to be on the radar of these writers and websites, I started to feel resentful when these emails arrived. I knew I had to start saying ‘no’, and by doing so, open up new doors for myself.
I found that if I was open and honest about the changes, it sparked new insights and conversations; I could feel content, knowing that I’d told one more person about my soul work.
My body would tense up when I’d receive yet another email asking for my opinion on non-dairy nut milks. It came to a head one day, when I received an urgent (so urgent!) email, asking for my comment about … kale. The journalist needed my response within the hour. My jaw tensed, and I almost threw my empty tea-stained mug across my desk. My physical response, my body’s answer, was a complete, resolute, absolute refusal. It was not my soul work any longer and I had to honour that, or my resentment would continue to bubble up (and one day I might actually break my mug).
I also knew that if I didn’t start to speak up about my current work, I’d continue to receive emails asking me to write about almond milk and kale. (Side note: I love almond milk and kale, I just don’t love writing about them.)
So I took a deep breath. I centred myself. I sent gratitude and love to this woman, because I was indeed so grateful to be thought of, and I replied like this:
Hey V,
Thank you so much for getting in touch! I’m grateful you thought of me for this piece.
Lately my focus has shifted, and I no longer write about food and nutrition. If you’re working on any articles or stories about any of the following topics, I’d love to be considered for an interview, comment or article:
I’d also love to introduce you to D who’s a nutritionist. I’m sure she would love to help you out with the article you’re working on now.
Thank you again, and I look forward to working together on another piece soon.
Cassie x
There’ll be times we need to say ‘no’ to old soul work, in order to bring in the new. And when the ‘new’ feels so close you could reach out and grab it? That’s when we’ll need to step up, once more honouring this season of our soul work, making space for ourselves, and celebrating what we love to do.
I recently received an email from an old client of mine, Mia, who was releasing a new product that had a similar name to one of my offerings. She was worried I’d be upset or think she was copying me; but she was also proud of what she’d created and really wanted to go ahead with her launch.
I didn’t need a moment to think about my reply. Here it is:
Hey Mia,
Thank you so much for getting in touch, and for your lovely email.
Please launch your offering! I so appreciate you letting me know, thank you. My books have the same name as many other books. I definitely feel more than okay with us having same/similar names for products. I also know that when we create our own soul work, it’s always unique to us—no matter if it has a similar name to another product. Good work always has a place.
Thank you again for reaching out. I really appreciate it.
Hope all is well, and big love right back,
Cass xxx
There is space for all of us.
There can be so much fear around creating and releasing our own work, when you wonder if it’s enough. There can be times when you wonder if your work will be judged because it’s similar to the work of others, or even too different.
What I’ve come to understand is that when we create our own soul work, it’s always unique to us—no matter if it has a similar theme or even a similar name to another product.
This doesn’t give you a free pass to plagiarise the work of others with just a tiny twist; you must still do work that is honest and unique to you. And if your work is good and real and true (to you), your work will be found. It might be found by one person, or by thousands, but it’ll be found.
This doesn’t mean you won’t have to show up for yourself and your dreams; this doesn’t mean you won’t have to speak up about yourself, your work, and your gifts; and it certainly doesn’t mean you’ll never feel a fear of failure, uncertainty or self-doubt again. But it does allow you to know that if you keep showing up, creating and releasing your work, letting yourself be seen and heard, it’ll get found.
The way to do that is to create good work. And really, the only way to create good work is to create your soul work.
When you create your soul work, you are honouring the part of you who needs this self-expression the most.
What’s your soul work? It’s the work that lights you up, from deep inside, from high above, from down below. It lights you up from every angle, with every perspective giving you a clear view right into your soul. It’s the work you must do; it’s the work that calls you to it; it’s the work that fills you up; it’s the work that is you—without being attached to you.
It’s the work that only you can do.
You might not be clear on how to find and follow your soul work yet, and that’s okay. If that’s the case, I suggest you:
Most things become saturated with confusion when we overthink them. So please don’t overthink your soul work. Your soul isn’t overthinking it, so why do you need to?
Keep making space to conjure and dream, to evoke and create, to brainstorm and map, and to feel into what you’re wanting to make. It doesn’t matter if you start and stop, start and stop, while you’re working out what works for you. Because the only way you’ll find it is to make space to see it.
Listen to the whispers that guide you in the right direction. They’re easiest to listen to when it’s quiet, and when you’re not forcing or rushing. So make some space to sit with yourself, or some time to work it out, and keep following the intuitive nudges that guide you in the direction of your dreams (even if they don’t make complete sense).
Course-correcting is how we simultaneously embody alignment and invite more of it in, when we feel off track. If you find yourself along the path of doing your soul work but something starts to feel off, or out of whack, or not in alignment with your energy and dreams, you have full and complete permission to let it go. Readjust your perception so it’s focused on what feels best for you, instead of holding onto an old dream.
What would honouring your soul work really look like?
I give myself permission to do my soul’s deepest work. It is safe for me to follow what lights me up, to let myself do the work I love the most, and to follow the intuitive nudges of my dreams, guidance and intuition.