Years ago my vision was simple. I wanted to help others heal like I had. I wanted to help the world so much that I didn’t care if that came at the cost of myself. In Astrological terms, I have a Pisces/11th house stellium, which can mean that I’m comfortable sacrificing myself for the greater good.
Like many of us in healing and spiritual spaces, I believed that if I followed my heart, gave enough, and loved enough, that it would all work out.
Going full time in my purpose felt like the ultimate expression of that vision. I moved from being Clare Bennett Coaching into something that felt grander. I created Temple Divine, a Sacred Centre for Healing Arts offering 121s, events, and training using a range of modalities.
There’s no greater privilege than living your purpose, right? Absolutely, but there’s more to it.
I’ve been full time for over six years, which I’m incredibly grateful for. For many this would seem like a dream come true. Certain people look confused when I seem stressed at times, they say ‘but you’re your own boss, you don’t have anyone to answer to’ but that’s not true. I am accountable to my clients, community, and of course the highest power of all.
What I’ve witnessed both in myself and in other practitioners is this pattern.
· We find something that helps us heal.
· We experience transformation.
· We feel called to share it.
· We build something to serve others.
And then, without realising it, we fall back into the very patterns we thought we had transcended.
I had done the work. I had broken my heart open. I had learned self love, truly. I led and spoke from the heart. But I realised it wasn’t enough to truly live my purpose in a sustainable way.
Whether I like it or not, Temple Divine IS a business, and there are expectations that people have.
“I just want to help people” turns out to be an innocent and naïve foundation when you’re trying to run a business. It’s a good core, it’s the heart, and it needs more than that.
Because running a business demands things that pure-hearted service doesn’t prepare you for. Boundaries. Structure. Strategy. Pricing. Sustainability. Decisions that are not always comfortable or immediately aligned with the tendency to give endlessly.
This realisation led me to seek mentors, teachers, perspectives. I learned things that felt quite disconnected from my spiritual practice.
And somewhere along the way, something else happened.
In listening to others, I stopped listening to myself. It happened gradually, but eventually I noticed it had happened. And I learned that other people don’t always know what is best for you or your business.
There’s a quiet cost of growth that no-one warns you about.
Outgrowing a dream doesn’t mean abandoning it. Sometimes it means letting go of the version that was built on sacrifice and naivety.
The dream evolves.
The healer becomes a leader.
The giver must also learn to receive.
The heart-led visionary must work with both compassion and discernment.
Wanting to save the world at the cost of yourself is not sustainable. And building something that truly serves others requires more than love alone.
For me it required humility, and the courage to return to my own inner voice.
The real work isn’t just helping others heal.
It’s remembering how to stay connected to yourself while you do it
Below: Alice Overgrowing the Room
Image Credit: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-alice-overgrowing-the-room-1865-john-tenniel-1669488.html
