Nick Williams Weblog

Courage and Potential - 16-18 November

One of my personal passions is potential - liberating what is within each of us for our own joy and in order to contribute to the greater good. It is the journey back to the heart of ourselves. Like all of us, I got wounded when I was younger and developed lots of reasons to close my heart and hide out. I didn't have much confidence or self worth.

Thirteen years ago I went to a talk by Chuck Spezanno in London, and within 15 minutes had taken pages of notes and felt like I was witnessing someone with an incredible understanding of the human heart and mind. Chuck, along with his wife Lency, live in Hawaii and are the founders of Psychology of Vision http://www.psychologyofvision.com. Since that evening in 1994, I have regularly attended Psychology of Vision workshops, mainly in the UK. In the UK, the lead trainers are Jeff Allen and Julie Wookey, who have both become friends. When I hit the deck, Jeff is often the guy I turn to for help and he has helped me through some very difficult periods in my life.

Julie is about to take a years sabatical  so she and Jeff are doing their last London workshop together for a while. I am going to be there as a participant, and if you feel the call to courage to get past some of the big patterns that are holding you back in your life, I think you would find the workshop exciting.

Click here for full details of the event in London. 

What makes work meaningful?

One of the topics I am frequently asked about is how our work can have meaning beyond mere financial survival and paying the bills. It is something I have studied and thought about alot and here are some of the factors that I have found to be present in people who find their work intrinsically fulfilling and meaningful.

1. What you do has some significance to you – it makes a positive difference in someone’s life. You feel that you labour and energy are used significantly and make a contribution. The greater good is served somehow.

2. You get to identify and use your particular creative talents and gifts – you get to express the best of you, which leads to a sense of joy.

3. You get to be who you uniquely are and not just play a role or be a nameless resource

4. You receive some acknowledgement for what you do and the way you do it – you feel appreciated and you appreciate yourself

5. You can keep being stretched, learn, grow and become more of what you are capable of being and develop your talents

6. A sense of freedom and autonomy - that you are able to set some of your own goals and decide how you spend your time and energy 

7. You have a sense of belonging and being included – either to an organisation, a network, clients, an idea or the wider world

Of course, all these can apply to both paid and voluntary work.