Since beginning the journey of starting my private practice I have been told that the market is saturated with therapists. I was told that most people don't make it past 5 years in private practice, or that it will never be a full time gig, only a part time passion. I also had other people say, "Well, why not you? Why couldn't you make this dream a reality?" Those folks were the ones who had realized their own dreams and were far more interested in me realizing mine than squashing the little seedling of hope I had of making my vocation a reality.
This is my hope for you: to make your dream a reality. I know what it is like to hear all the comments from those who don't think you can do it. I even know all those internal personalities that come up with a laundry list of reasons why it will not work for you (you're too shy, stupid, young, old, inexperienced, no one likes you, no one will come, you will look a fool, people are already doing this, ad infinitum!). My question then for you is: Why not you?!
I have found that through internal work, related directly to building my private practice and some work not so related, my practice has grown by leaps and bounds. There was and still is a direct correlation between my professional success and my willingness to explore my internal world. The issue for many of us around our success is not just about websites, marketing, flyers, workshops etc., it is about what inhibits us internally from moving forward toward what we most want.
One major issue for those in the healing professions is not valuing our experience and time. When it comes to asking for a reasonable fee there is shame, doubt, and fear. We are sure no one will pay us what we are worth so we ask for less than we deserve. We keep the client but while they're off vacationing in Hawaii we are trying to make ends meet because we are not asking for what we want.
Another issue is around putting yourself out there. It's scary to say "This is what I am passionate about, this is what I love, and I want to share it with you." There is no guarantee of what will happen after you take a step to expose your vulnerability and passion, it could work out great or you could fall flat on your face. Success or failure is great information, you will learn about yourself and about what happens. And you will have both success and failure, that's just how it goes!
If you want to explore what is keeping you from taking the next step towards your passion and sharing it with the world contact me below for a free consultation. We can explore some practical solutions, and some of those deeper beliefs which inhibit you from realizing your professional dream. In the meantime hold this question as you take steps towards your professional goals: Why not me?
