John’s Story
My self-mastery journey began before I even knew I was on one. I didn’t even know that term existed.
I suppose I was used to high levels of stress. I am a business owner, accountant and professional. That was just how things were. You were always on a heightened state of alert. You had a business to grow, client expectations, business expectations, industry expectations, your own performance expectations, and KPI’s. That was how you were bred as an accountant. How good you were was determine by the numbers. Happiness was defined by the $. Accounting for each minute of your day, how productive you are, what $ you produced. I can even extend that back to the schooling years.
Expectations of getting a good grade to feel good about myself to meet inherent “expectations”. How good you were as a student related to what score you got. The trouble was, I was always an average student. I consistently achieved Bs and Cs. I learnt to adapt. I didn’t have the inherent intelligence others had. I had a bigger asset. Stubborn persistence. I learnt to work and work hard. Time and hard work produced results, the numbers that I needed to meet the expectations I felt. But that got me through. I graduated from university. I achieved post graduate qualifications to be a Chartered Accountant. I learnt I can get what I wanted from persistence, time, and discipline. Lessons I still carry with me today.
My career evolved from the same theory, but there were greater lessons that I needed to learn, lessons that started my journey in self-mastery.
The professional career started in the worst possible way. In a toxic environment where ethical considerations were questionable. Where I was the victim of bullying by the partner I was working under. That was my first exposure to anxiety. Fear of going to work each day. Fear of what the week would have instore for me. The trauma of those experiences I held onto for just under 30 years. But the best thing to come from that experience was to leave. That lead me onto a journey that I am forever grateful for. It led me to a new workplace that I loved. I grew from being a young accountant to becoming a partner of that firm. Of knowing nothing to becoming an industry specialist and starting my own successful business. Career-wise I was growing, learning, and expanding. It was then I noticed the cracks. The insomnia started, the worry and anxiety grew. It was during that phase I experienced my first phase of depression. One of many to come.
To deal with these issues, I fell back on the things I knew at the time. Stubborn persistence wins the game. I grew strong, I had tenacity, and I was very disciplined. But it wasn’t enough. This is where the self-mastery journey began.
I went internal, to find ways of being able to sleep, to finding ways of understanding why I was feeling the way I did. What was causing this? I learnt ways of controlling my environment, change my environment to protect me and grow me. But it wasn’t enough, The mental illness continue, as did horrible insomnia, anxiety was always present, on heightened states of alert. I had much to learn still. So, it started a new phase of life. Of change, of discipline to change, of seeking knowledge, learning about me, about myself, my place in the world. Who was I and how do I find harmony and balance.
Each step has been one I am grateful for. For it has led me to where I am now. Each lesson, each chance encounter, each experience. I sought out psychologists a few times, I was on different medications at various times, I sought out business coaches, mentors, exercise regimes, diet and nutrition. Each step, I learnt something different. Each step enabled me to grow, to learn more and to become who I am and who I am proud of.
My own business grew and continues to grow. It became successful. I was recognised as an industry leader. I had an immensely talented team. Our culture was amazing. They are a beautiful family, full of love and care, laughter, and compassion. I was happily married and continue to be happily married. Two beautiful and talented children who are doing their own amazing things in life. Yet, despite all these things I had achieved, I was still burning out, I was still not sleeping, I still had bouts of significant mental decline. It did not make sense. I felt I was doing everything right. Yet I was a mess internally. I felt I was just broken, and this is just the way I am. I was meant to suffer.
The reality was though, I am still on my journey of self-mastery and will be for the rest of my life. The universe and fate still had plans for me. You see, if I hadn’t of changed jobs, if I hadn’t of gone on my career path, if I hadn’t of become an industry specialist, if I hadn’t of started my own business, then I wouldn’t have walked into that pharmacy on that day. I wouldn’t have met Rosemary and I wouldn’t had discovered the next phase of my journey and learnings, of truly discovering self-mastery and my connection to myself, with nature and with the universe.
Thus began an incredible phase of my journey. Of refining my physical health even further. Of delving even deeper into understanding my mental realm and my spiritual awakening. Discovering harmony and balance, understanding my deep connection with nature, being more aware of my energy, understanding who I really am and what talents I have and the beauty of my existence. I study the ancient wisdoms of past cultures, Taoism, I am a Qigong practitioner and teacher. Life is a glorious existence of experiencing, learning, growing, and evolving, with a life of simplicity, trust, patience and compassion.
Resonance Life was born from this space. We both had a desire for a business that can take this knowledge to the world. To show people how to evolve and grow, to go on their own journey of self-mastery, to discover their own harmony and balance.
My self-mastery journey began before I knew I was on one. But it is a journey I continue with and will for the rest of my days on this earth.