Yesterday was the first day in my new office.
It’s been a dream of mine to have my own office and my own space since I started practicing naturopathy six years ago.
The first few years as a practicing naturopath are arduous, with long hours and a huge learning curve. Learning how to apply what you know, how to work with people, and ultimately there is a huge amount of growth that you must do personally and professionally.
Interestingly in that time, most of my growth was about being a better doctor and a better person, but in the process of that growth, I had forgotten about one of the most important things which was: what is right for me?
I had been working in many offices with many people which initially I thought was the right decision. I thought I could offer more to patients by being able to refer to other practitioners who could help them in the areas that I was not trained to do or not as skilled. I met many professionals and people along the way whom I respect and enjoyed working with, which I will cherish.
What I started realizing however was my desire to be alone, to be quiet, to become centred. Ultimately, it’s very difficult to be centred for an introvert like myself in a very busy, bustling space with many different people.
The exact opposite of the kind of environments in which I had been working!
Once I realized what I needed, of course, the doubt and fear came in. Work alone? By myself? How can I do this? Is this even possible? Will I find the right environment? And so on. I felt guilty that perhaps I would be not offering the same services to my patients. It’s funny, but in a way, I suppose I had thought that myself, I was not enough.
Being enough is never a goal to which you must attain, but it is a state of which you are already in!
I know I have heard these words uttered in various forms in my office, but I had not been taking my own advice.
Once I decided that my needs were paramount for good health care, if not the most important part of being a grounded and centred practitioner, well the rest is history.
The one comment that everyone has said today is “this space is so calm”.
I couldn’t agree more!
So go out there and do what you alone can offer the world. You have no idea what you can create when you step outside your comfort zone, and how everyone you know is potentially waiting for you to be your true self.
Dr Aoife
With deepest gratitude to my support team for their belief and hard work