When the zombies come are you on speed dial?

I won at zombie apocalypse. As myself, uncensored. In fact it was exactly because I was uncensored that I won.

For so many of my clients deciding which bits of themselves to present to the world is a job in itself. It can be hard to digest someone who is cynical and idealistic, scientific and spiritual, heart and head, intellectual and intuitive. You don’t fit in a neat box and there’s always the worry that your audience will value one side of you but dismiss the other. Last week we looked at the way in which healers can try to please all the people all the time. This week we’re looking at how, when you stop trying to fit neatly in the box, the box shifts itself to fit you.

 

So back to the zombie apocalypse. This particular apocalypse took place at a networking event in London. Eeeeeuuuurgh! Networking! I hear you scream (and yes, that can be worse than zombies). This particular networking event was run by the amazing Sara Price of Actually, a self-proclaimed soulful pragmatist and genius at making business both fun and fruitful. Sara’s events are epic and we all had a great time persuading each other of why exactly we would be the best person to have on the team when the zombies descended. Now, I’m not going to beat around the bush: I WON (cue manic, villainous, slightly disbelieving laughter). Not only did I win, I was selected for the team more times than an A&E doctor, a real-life rocket scientist and a crisis communications specialist. Huzzah! I hear you cry. But it’s not the ridiculousness of someone who failed self-defence and jumps at their own reflection being the zombie-killer of choice that I’m celebrating. It’s that I won as me.

 

At the end of the evening Sara pointed out that for some people the battle is everything and, for others, the life after the battle is everything. Now we both know that right? We know that some people are pragmatic, results driven, competitive survivors and others are idealistic, optimistic, collaborative visionaries. And they tend to have a low opinion of each other; which is what makes us shy of sharing the fact that we are both. Only, in the game there was no time to find out what the other person was looking for and only offer those bits of me. No, I had to deliver a snippet cv of my qualifications in the gothic novel, penchant for the New Scientist, training in all sorts of rites for the dead, persuasion skills as a strategist and secret love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in one mouthful. THEN I got to hone in on the bits that got the most enthusiastic nodding. And guess what? It turns out that it was the whole package deal that got their attention. When push comes to shove people want to survive the horror AND build a good life (maybe even a better life) afterwards. They want a life that is survivable, sustainable, meaningful and hopeful. When zombies come we realise a body without a soul is a damn miserable thing.

 

So if you’re a unicorn human with a foot in both camps (remember Sara the soulful pragmatist?) then remember this: whatever people say in their idle moments, when it’s an end-of-the-world scenario they choose you exactly because of your complexities and paradoxes. And let’s face it. The world is ending for someone in small but significant ways every single day and they need your blend of skills and talents to help them rebuild it.

 

Are you a unicorn looking to shift your career to fit better around you? Drop me a line, because I’m even better at career whispering and purpose finding than I am at fighting zombies.

 

Join me for Magic in Mind to explore the nuances of how Healers operate in the world.