Do not try to save

the whole world

or do anything grandiose.

Instead, create

a clearing

in the dense forest

of your life

and wait there

patiently,

until the song

that is your life

falls into your own cupped hands

and you recognise and greet it.

Only then will you know

- How to give yourself by **Martha **Postlewaite****

Many of us in the caring profession have become martyrs to our jobs. The impact has led to burnout and stress along the way. We seem to have lost our way, our calling, and have settled for just survival.

Ever since I began my private practice four-years-ago I have been struck by the level of creativity that is needed to survive and thrive while running a successful business. Setting up a private practice takes great risk and courage. The truth is that there are no guarantees. I used to not like the phrase, 'think outside the box', but now I find that I am using this phrase more. I now like to think of this phrase in the context of therapy and coaching as 'therapy/coaching outside the building.' Meaning that the old system of waiting for clients to come to us in our cushy rooms might not be enough.

In fact, what this pandemic has shown is that is that there is a need for us to think and act differently. This has been evident with the panic that arose for many therapists as they began working online. For some therapists and coaches working online is not a new practice. One of the reasons that I love the coaching model is that it trains you to work with clients from day one via the telephone and online alongside a face-to-face model. For me personally I had already been working via telephone and online for three years before the UK locked down. However the bulk of my therapy and coaching work has always been face-to-face.

We have now been nudged into a different space that is forcing us to do the following:

• Question our philosophy on life, our value system
• Dream again
• To wonder, to be curious