#338 Seeing your career challenges as a catalyst for spiritual awakening, and how to align with your purpose, with Rebecca Kirk.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION
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Please note that while an effort is made to provide an accurate transcription, errors and omissions may be present. No part of this transcription can be referenced or reproduced without permission.
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Rebecca Kirk  0:00  
I had moments of what I would describe as pure bliss, for no reason whatsoever. It just emerged in me moments where I would look out to see. And I really understood in that moment, that sort of deeper essence of my true identity

Agi Keramidas  0:19  
welcome to Personal Development mastery podcast, empowering you with the simple, consistent actions needed to master yourself and create a life of purpose and fulfilment. I'm your host, Agi Keramidas. And my mission is simply to inspire you to take action towards a fulfilling life. In this podcast, I invite myself inside the minds of remarkable people. And I distil their wisdom for you. So if you're ready to find practical insights that you can implement right now, make sure you follow the podcast and get the episodes as soon as they are released. Speaking of insights, how would you like a free copy of my book 88 actionable insights for life. It's a book based on the conversations with the remarkable people ahead doing this podcast. And you as my listener can get it now before its official launch. As a matter of fact, I'm giving it to you as a present. Go to keramidas.com/ 88 to download your copy. 

Agi Keramidas  1:32  
And coming to today's episode, if you would like to discover how to align with your purpose, the reason why you're here, then the following conversation with my guest, Rebecca Kirk is for you. By the end of this podcast today, you will find out how your purpose is already within you. And it's not about searching externally. And you will also discover how spiritual practices like meditation, yoga and mindfulness can help peel back the layers of the ego and connect you with your higher self so you can better understand your purpose. And before we dive in a quick reminder that after the last few months that personal development mastery had weekly episodes, I'm excited to share with you that we're back to two episodes a week now, a conversation each Monday and a shorter episode. It's Thursday, either a solo or a snippet of wisdom. I'm looking forward to providing you with even more actionable insights and practical wisdom. So let's dive right into today's episode. Today, I am delighted to speak with Rebecca Kirk. Rebecca, you are the go to career coach for people on the spiritual path. And the author of you're here for a reason, a practical and spiritual guidebook for readers who are at a career crossroads. You have a unique approach to career coaching and spirituality. And you're passionate about enabling more people to awaken to a working life of greater purpose, peace and prosperity. Rebecca, welcome to the show. It's such a pleasure to speak with you today.

Rebecca Kirk  3:29  
Oh, thank you. I am delighted to be here. Thanks for having me on.

Agi Keramidas  3:34  
I'm also very excited for this conversation and the topics that we're going to cover. And actually, let me say, straight away that we will explore purpose today, the reason why we're here and aligning all that with our career. So I think that's very valuable as as a topic. Before we go there. I would like to get some background, I understand you have a long career in corporate both in the States and in the UK. And I wasn't three intrigued. You said that you embarked on a break from your career and you went to Australia and for you had the spiritual awakening in that time. So this is a very fascinating story. I would ask you to take us back to two points in that. Let's go to one of the first it was just before he really stopped your work and went to Australia what three years that decision, you know, to do something radical like that.

Rebecca Kirk  4:46  
Well, I describe it as feeling like a square peg in a round hole. My latter days in the corporate world so I wasn't really connecting to a lot of Have what my colleagues were connecting to, and the desire to sort of move up the ladder. And I'd been questioning it for quite some time. And I think I can, to me, intuition is a hugely powerful tool that we all have access to. And there was an inner knowing that this wasn't going to work for me long term. And that voice inside just became too loud to ignore. And I had the, I suppose privilege of having a brother who lived the other side of the world over in Sydney. And it just made sense for me to kind of take my foot off the gas for a little while, and carve out a bit of space, but a headspace bit of time to really reflect on what was going on for me. So I'd been repeating the same patterns in my career. So I'd been going from corporate employer to corporate employer, doing very similar jobs, hoping magically that something would shift, I would feel more aligned. And of course, that that didn't quite happen. So after the sort of third time of doing that, I realised that something much more fundamental needed to shift. And I have taken breaks before I think I've called on my faith in those moments to know you're going to be okay if you do this. So yeah, at that point, I decided to, to take a career break. And yeah, I head over to to Australia for about five months I spent over there.

Agi Keramidas  6:36  
In search for answers. Yeah, in search

Rebecca Kirk  6:39  
for answers. And interestingly, when I arrived there, I had actually booked in to see some recruitment agencies with a view to perhaps doing what I was doing in the UK over in Australia. And again, that little voice inside said to me, really, do you really want to do this again. And, you know, for me being around nature being around the ocean is hugely powerful and restorative. And I think having the that time and headspace, it helps me kind of pull back from the outer aspects of life and go within and really get to the, you know, root of what what was happening here. So I obviously, I didn't end up taking any of those jobs. And instead, I set up my own business whilst I was over there. So whether you class that as a career break, when you end up setting the business on I don't know, but that's that was my experience.

Agi Keramidas  7:42  
And did that happen with the new business? Because I remember reading something about a spiritual awakening. So can you take us to that time and explain what happened to you? And, yeah, let's start with that what happened to you before we move on to what seems afterwards,

Rebecca Kirk  8:02  
so two or three things really. So I discovered a couple of different practices, which I found hugely powerful. So I discovered Kundalini Yoga, which was deeply transformative, and I discovered Buddhist meditation. And alongside that, I, my life was extremely simple. I was living out of a small room, in my brother's apartment, I had very little stuff around me, physical stuff, you know, when my friends were back home, I wasn't in a relationship, I, you know, I didn't have a job. And I think, in sort of turning down the volume of all that outer noise, I was able to hear what was true and real for me within. And again, being near to the ocean, I had a very direct connection to the universe, my way of describing spirit, but I had a very, very clear daily connection to it. And I had moments of what I would describe as pure bliss, for no reason whatsoever. It just emerged in me moments where I would look out to see and I really understood in that moment, that sort of deeper essence of my true identity, who I was beyond the confines of my previous corporate, corporate life, my my job title, I was able to go beyond that. And that, for me was a huge awakening.

Agi Keramidas  9:33  
It's a word when you say the word pure bliss and discovering the deeper essence that certainly it the words themselves describe the significance of the experience. Before you had that or before you started. The meditation and Kundalini yoga you said, did you have were you spiritual in any way before that time?

Rebecca Kirk  9:59  
Yeah, I've I've all always had a connection to my my spiritual side, I was brought up in a Catholic school. So I was around spirituality, although I've definitely pulled back from religion. This for me is not about religion, but I had an awareness and an exposure to it. I think my my first I think there was a pre awakening to the Sydney awakening. And that was when I lived and worked in Palm Beach in Florida. And I was around a great amount of wealth. I think it's probably one of the two most wealthy parts of the country of the states. And I, I remember, I was probably 22 At that point, thinking that there's got to be more to life than this, this is not, this was not resonating with me that outer manifestation of success and what people were striving for. And again, I was near the ocean, and nature was very powerful for me. And I remember, then really starting my search for that deeper meaning. And I came across the work of Wayne Dyer, great, late, great spiritual teacher, which really spoke to me. And I think that was probably the point in which I started opening up to my own version of spirituality rather than religion, per se. But it's absolutely been a feature in my life, I think as, as long as I can remember, in some shape or form.

Agi Keramidas  11:24  
Thank you. That's a wonderful answer. And I like these kinds of off of stories and a little bit of the background, what led to that. So let's move on the conversation. And let's really go to our main topic, really, because I your coaching and what you help the most with is the and you talk about and also your book, which we're going to talk about in a moment. But it is this reason for being here or this purpose. I think it is a topic that certainly someone listening to this podcast has considered the question. I know there are many people, unfortunately, that if not the most people that don't really think of that question at all, or never have. But I think for most of us being in this environment, that wanting to improve our lives, it is an inevitable question. And it is the question that leads the journey of exploration and growth and so on. And now I'm speaking also about from personal experience, do you want to give us your take on this the reason we're here, the purple bush, and I remember reading somewhere that you say it's about aligning with it, rather than finding it as many people say, so I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Rebecca Kirk  13:00  
Well, I'll start off right there in terms of aligning. So, you know, language, I think is very key here. So the idea of finding purpose implies that it's something you search for on the outside, whereas my I suppose my approach, my experience of purpose is that it's already exists, and it's about going within aligning your outer circumstances with what is already deep within. So things such as, you know, your values, your, your gifts, your your, your Colin's your, your higher self as well, I think is it for me is a key part. This, something I talk about in the book is what a class is the kind of the foundations, the roots of this, you know, this thing, this purpose. So, it's, it's, and I think when you realise that it's not something that you have to go out and actively find in, in a sense, I think it can really shift people's mindset to almost like relax into the fact it's already there. It's just a case of peeling back those layers peeling back the resistance to finding that true, that true self that you know, I every client I work with, I work with them on the basis that they already have everything that they need to have a more purposeful career. My job is just to help them connect with what is already within and to understand the resistance to connecting with it. So that's what I mean by aligning with purpose rather than finding it and I use quite a broad definition of the term purpose. So it's interesting, most people I think the default can be purpose which is derived from our work from our career from paid stuff that we do. And I introduced the idea of it's not my idea. It's You know, has been talked about, but I don't think it gets talked about enough in the context of the Korea, the Korea change journey, and that is purpose which can be derived in other ways. So two of the other ways that that I look at is a higher purpose, which is really about awakening to who we truly are under the surface, and also life purpose. And the life purpose, which I believe we all have access to in the here and now is about how can we bring in more love more light, more compassion into day to day life into our daily interactions into perhaps even the job that we're already doing. And when we do that, and we open up to that, it, it, it sort of connects us with this, this energy stream that can then eventually lead us into finding more purpose within our work within our career. And it also takes the pressure off purpose, being solely about your career, because I find that that pressure that we can put on ourselves to pin everything on to this or all of our fulfilment desires onto this one job is quite counterproductive. So I think when you recognise the ways in which that purpose can be, can be explored, felt experienced in the here, and now it creates a bit of a shift. So yeah, a broader definition of purpose, I think is key. And available to us all.

Agi Keramidas  16:42  
If you're enjoying this episode, can you find one person that you think would add value to and share it with them, I would really appreciate you and it really helps grow the show, and also helps you add value to people who care about. Thank you so much. Let's get back to the episode.

Speaker 2  17:03  
Thank you, there were so many things that came up for me when I was listening to what you're saying. One important thing I got was what you said that purpose does not necessarily have to coincide with someone's career. So and it is, it's a great distinction. Of course, that is something that has to come from inside, as you said, to realise it to understand it rather than create it, like something external. And there was something that you said about nothing, the metaphor you use was to peel back the layers because the purpose is already there. But we have resistance to uncover it or to align with it. So do you want to tell me about those layers that show what kind of layers are they blocking us from?

Agi Keramidas  18:10  
Aligning with our purpose?

Rebecca Kirk  18:12  
Hmm. So I mean, fear, I think chiefly it revolves around fear. And I, I look at things in terms of either things coming from our ego, self or our higher self and our ego self is chiefly linked to fear, as opposed to love which the higher self is rooted in. And so the ego self can create resistance through things like limiting beliefs, thought patterns, things such as you know, I am not good enough. I think that I've cut to the chase and gone straight to the heart of things which which comes up very, very often with clients, you know, and, you know, even owning things like owning our gifts, recognising that you might have a gift or talent for something can be very challenging for people. You know, there's a lot of fear, I think, around that about what other people might think so I don't whether it's a very British thing, but this idea of not wanting to be arrogant, for example, not and to me, that is that is an aspect of ego self still, because we're just worried about what other people might think or say, but I think in doing so, and I speak from experience with this, argue that we're keeping ourselves small. We're not claiming those gifts, those those talents, those things that we've been given, I believe we've been given to bring to the world and we you know, peeling back the layers is understanding that resistance and really getting to the root of it. What's what stuff upon you from accessing who you truly are, which is fear.

Agi Keramidas  20:09  
You were saying earlier, you refer to the ego self and you reminded me of Eckhart Tolle and my question and I'm just trying to find the best way to articulate it. My question is, do you use or recommend some specific spiritual practices, because it's one thing to talk about the ego self. But as we all very well know, when it takes over, it's it can be difficult to step out of it for a moment and realise that this is not my higher self. I'm not operating out of love, but out of fear, because it really takes over. And I think that's, it's good, that accurate expression of how I have experienced it anyway. So are there any practices you recommend any ways one can be able to, you know, work maybe towards peeling those Chanel shorts? I think you You understand the question.

Rebecca Kirk  21:19  
Yeah. So I think very simply, the first thing is to become aware of when the ego has kicked in, and to recognise it as such. I mean, Eckhart Tolle talks about, you know, how we kind of take this sort of become the observer. So we detach or disconnect ourselves from being our ego, we witness it. So that is not who we truly are. And again, for me, a lot of this comes back to the higher self and practices to help you connect with the higher self. So you know, there's various different ways that I recommend clients do this, one of which, which is a very simple kind of exercise is to, if you just imagine your 30 year old self, try and step into the shoes of your 30 year old self, and imagine that your, your, your current self is stood in front of you. And just imagine what what message you want to pass on to your current self, let's say about the resistance that you're feeling or, you know, the challenge that you might be experienced within your career or your life. And it's incredible, when I do this with clients that it's very instant, that that message is very, very instant. And I'll say to them, but that isn't your 30 year old self, obviously, we can only be our current selves, but it's just a way of accessing that wisdom, which is there anyway.

Agi Keramidas  22:46  
So just to understand to make sure I understand it correctly, you ask your 30 year old self, so the 30 year old self gives you the the answer, or, or is it the other way around,

Rebecca Kirk  22:58  
you kind of embodying your 30 year old self, so you just imagine that you are your 30 year old self, and you're giving your current self right, passing on a message. Yeah. And then you kind of come back to present and you realise that actually, that was that is just that sort of deep inner knowing which is there all along, it's just a way of accessing the higher self or the inner mentor, some people call it. So I think we're just recognising you have that self to call on either when you get triggered by the ego self or as a daily practice. You know, I think it can be quite illuminating for people to just realise that their ego self is not all of who they are. And this is the beauty of I think when you're on a spiritual path, you you have this alternative view, which can help you transcend that resistance and transcend any fear based thoughts or patterns that can really keep you stuck.

Agi Keramidas  24:01  
Thank you. I had heard of a similar exercise than the way that you said, but it was the other way around. Maybe that's why I got a bit confused earlier on because it is your older self, let's say your 70 year old self that is giving you their point of view, shall we say? So this is the other a younger version of yourself advising us you are now it's a very intriguing I will say exercise.

Rebecca Kirk  24:36  
Well, it is actually the oldest self communicating to the younger self. It is that I know there are some exercises where you can imagine that you're your younger self, but this is this is the oldest self talking to the current self.

Agi Keramidas  24:50  
Right. Okay. It's, it's, I think it's very useful. I think it's very useful and very practical. garland applicable. So yes, thank you for that. Thank You letter maker. There is one other thing that I wanted to ask you, and I will stay a little bit longer in this topic of purpose.

Speaker 2  25:22  
And it is about it was about trusting your read somewhere you're saying about trusting your unique path? And how people find it challenging? Maybe? And that's part of the what keeps them stuck, I suppose. So would you like to share your thoughts about the power of trust in your own path and how one can trust more?

Rebecca Kirk  25:47  
Well, I mean, excuse me trust, trust in itself, just as a practice, if you like is, it's a, I think it's a very quick way to raise your vibration, I talk to clients a lot about their energy and how powerful that is in attracting the right circumstances, people whatever to you. So just the mere mention of the word Trust, I think is, is elevating AI, there is a concept if you like, again, it's nothing new, but I talk about this in my book, and that is divine timing, the idea that there is a higher plan for you. And, you know, I think what can throw some people off is that we think, or we assume that everybody else is on a perfectly linear path. And that they, you know, they maybe go through college university come straight out of that, and know exactly what they're going to do. And that's it for the rest of their lives. And it's, I mean, obviously, the people that come to me, there's less of those instances, but I think generally in life, there is less of that than what you imagined. And I think if you can learn to accept the the windy path, I mean, certainly my career has been very windy. But it's exactly what I was meant to go through. And it helps each stage kind of helps you get on to the next stage and to the next stage. And I truly believe that everything we go through can can be transmuted in some way can be used to it could be to help other people or to help move you on to another stage could be to help you develop resilience, which then if you look at setting up your own business helps you develop, you know, set up your own business. So for me, trusting and trusting in your path is, is one of the first things I get clients to do, again, to get them into the right frame of mind, that will open them up to this journey and come at it from a more grounded a calmer perspective. So that trust, again, when you want a spiritual path, I think trust is a big word. And it's something that can really transform your experience.

Agi Keramidas  28:05  
So Rebecca, tell me about your, your book, you're here for a reason, which it's been released on September 23. Well, based on when one is listening to this conversation, it's already out there. So tell me about, first of all, who is it that will benefit the most by reading the book.

Rebecca Kirk  28:30  
So it's written for people who are at a crossroads in their career. So they might be wondering whether they should stay in their current job, whether they should make a complete career change, but they're feeling unfulfilled, that's very clear, there's something that doesn't feel quite right. They might have a sense that there's something else out there that they, they they're meant to be doing, but they can't quite put their finger on what that is. So it's for people, you know, it could be of all, you know, not just people who are currently in a role they could be, you know, parents looking to return to work, there could be people who have been made redundant. It's not just the people in a role. I've written it in a way that hopefully other people can benefit from it. But the I think the people who will benefit the most are those who are on a spiritual path. And by that I mean, you know, you could just be spiritually curious. You could be fully awakened, you could be somewhere in between, or even just open minded. I think a lot of the concepts spiritual concepts now have gained a lot more sort of, I suppose, awareness, popular awareness, things like meditation and mindfulness. So I think if you are open minded, you could still benefit from it. But definitely people who are on a spiritual journey of some sort, I think will benefit in the sense that it helps you to see your career challenge as is a catalyst for a deeper awakening. And certainly that was my experience. And that's, I suppose one of my intentions or hopes for this book is that people might come to it hoping to transform their career, but in the process, they also access that that part of themselves that they wanted to, they were curious about exploring and, and even having an awakening, I mean, an awakening. You know, it's, it's kind of an act of grace in some senses. But I think you can set up the right conditions to awaken. So it's helping people on that side of the journey as well.

Agi Keramidas  30:39  
Thank you. And that's, I really liked your description, both about who it is for and how they will benefit from reading it. And since we're on this topic, please also share where can people find out more about you and the book?

Rebecca Kirk  30:57  
Yeah, so my website is Rebecca cook.co.uk. There's a page on my website all about the book and a pre order link. So you can you can order it before it releases in September. There's also some other free resources on there. There's a career change quiz, a free webinar on demand webinar to help people who are at a crossroads. And also, I think I'd be there's an article on there about different spiritual books that can help people on their career change journey as well. So yeah, hopefully, there's something of value to your readers, your listeners.

Agi Keramidas  31:34  
Thank you. And this, the links are in the show notes. Rebecca, I have two last quick questions that I always ask my my guests. And the first one is What does personal development mean to you?

Rebecca Kirk  31:54  
Oh, great question. Wow, well, it means it means not staying static, it means not staying still, it means looking for the opportunities in day to day life really, to help you evolve. Yeah, it's, it's a continual journey of evolution. So that could be within the career sense within the spiritual sense, within the relationship sense. But it's, I mean, for me, it's, it's been a feature of most of my life, and hence, I made the career switch into becoming a coach, I guess. But yeah, it's it's very, very important.

Agi Keramidas  32:38  
Thank you. And a hypothetical question, which in a way, we kind of discussed about in a in a different way earlier on, but let's say you could go back in time and meet your 18 year old self, not the 30, this time with a 18 year old. So what's one piece of advice you would give her?

Rebecca Kirk  32:58  
I think it would be just to stay true to myself. You know, to to worry less about what what others thought and to just stay in my own lane. I think I did do that. reasonably well. But I think you know, the benefit of of age, I guess is that you worry less about what other people think. And that just to know that it's going to be okay, you know, to trust. I think there's that word again, I think I would just say to her just to trust and enjoy the ride.

Agi Keramidas  33:37  
Rebecca, thank you very much for a really fascinating conversation, I want to wish you all the very best with your mission and your purpose with your what you're doing. Before we conclude, I like to leave my listeners with some parting wisdom. So what's one piece of advice or a simple practice, that the listener can start incorporating into their lives today to begin their journey towards more purpose and prosperity in the life?

Rebecca Kirk  34:15  
I think the practice of being so there's so much emphasis on doing I think recognising the power of just being that could be through meditation, it could be through mindfulness, but just allowing yourself to be even this flash just a few moments each day. When you allow yourself to be and you're in that state, you are not thinking I think that's a that's a key feature of it. You're not You're not involved in thought. You open up the space, for clarity for insight, that wisdom to emerge. So that would be the one thing just to try and incorporate it into, into every day. In some just in some small way

Agi Keramidas  35:07  
this was episode 338. And before I leave you for today, let me share one more time. Make sure you grab the exclusive opportunity to get my first book for free before its official launch. My wish for you is in the book to find even that one new idea that you will implement into your life. Go to Agikeramidas.com/88 For your free copy. Until next time, stand out don't fit in