Last week, one of our Exhibitors in The Healthy Brain and Body Show forwarded me an email. It was from another show organizer, asking if they would like to be a vendor in a new wellness expo coming to Ottawa. I am always happy to see new health shows entering the market, and so what struck me most was not the fact that they invited this vendor (who is from another province, and obviously culled from our Exhibitor list), but that they have created a “Zen Zone” inside their show.
When I saw the name “Zen Zone” in someone else’s sales and marketing promo, and when I looked at the floorplan with their very own Zen Zone inside, I watched my mind immediately enter into the egoic response of, “HEY!! That’s the name WE came up with for OUR meditation and yoga space inside OUR wellness show and SHE CAN’T STEAL IT!!”
And then I took a few deep breaths and I meditated and I talked with Roger and I remembered something:
That is DOESN’T MATTER.
Because it really, really doesn’t.
Their creating a Zen Zone in THEIR show doesn’t affect OUR Zen Zone in our show in any way whatsoever. In fact, what came up after the breathing and the meditating and the talking is something I have been actively working on in my coursework with Eckhart Tolle about identification with form:
“The unconscious compulsion to enhance one’s identity through association with an object is built into the very structure of the egoic mind. One of the most basic mind structures through which the ego comes into existence is identification. The word identification is derived from the latin word idem, meaning same, and facere, which means to make. So, when I identify with something, I make it the same. The same as what? The same as I. I endow it with a sense of self, and so it becomes part of my identity. One of the most basic levels of identification is with things. My toy, later becomes my car, my house, my clothes and so on. I try to find myself in things, but never quite make it, and end up losing myself in them. That is the fate of the ego.”
I am reminded that by wanting to hold on to “my idea” for “my show”, I don’t allow room for the idea to be used as inspiration for others without my ego being hurt. I don’t like the feeling of that energy, either, and so I invited a different feeling by choosing different thoughts. Instead of being angry and feeling like they “stole” our idea, I flipped that script. Instead, I told myself, it was a beautiful act. Perhaps the organizer came to our show and loved her experience inside The Zen Zone so much that she simply HAD to replicate it in her new show. Or, also a possibility, maybe she came up with the idea all on her own, and this is all just a funny coincidence. And, perhaps most importantly, I got closer to the reason why I created The Zen Zone in the first place–to be a place of connection and calm in an increasingly disconnected and noisy world. Remembering this, I decided I would like to see every health and wellness show include some space inside where people can just breathe…and BE.
Here’s the truth of it all: If we are honest, none of us are coming up with completely new ideas. We are ALL taking inspiration from one another, and it takes looking from above our lives to see this. I am a work in progress. I look forward to the day where my knee-jerk reaction is “Oh YAY! They are using our idea! It must mean it is an AWESOME idea!” as my first response.
Until then, I will keep digging deeper.
Because I believe it is ALL a lesson.
And I am being put to the test with this real-life example.
So, how did I do? I give myself a grade of C-. Why? Because if I truly had no attachment to The Zen Zone, I wouldn’t have felt “wronged” when someone copied our idea. I am learning that true peace comes from no attachment; not holding onto my gifts as ME, MINE, MY, but, rather, allowing my gifts to work through me and become an offering for all others to enjoy and be inspired by and, yes, even USE.
Because if people are using what I am putting out, then it must be worth something. And that knowledge inspires me to continue to create new things that others can use.
So, I am here to say this: If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, coach or anyone else with a message to share, share it. Don’t worry what others are doing or if they are going to copy you. Share it, anyway. Be yourself. And if they copy you, rest in the knowledge that you’ve inspired!
What a world this would be if we could all detach from form.
I have along way to go. But I am so glad I started.
Maybe it’s time for you to let go a little, too?
Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.
P.S. If you are seeking inspiration around creating more joy and freedom around your health, wellness, food, weight, body image, then I’d love to work together. I’ve put together a 12 week program that gets to the root of our worthiness issues and we develop a plan together that will help you to treat your body with greater compassion, love and respect. It’s awesome. And I’d love for you to experience it. One Bite At A Time. Visit OBAATCoaching.com to learn more. Registration for my next round will open soon.
P.P.S. If you’d like to learn a little more about me and the things we focus on, I did a live training recently called:“The Truth About Sugar and How To Live A Life Of Freedom Around Food.”
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