What do I mean when I say, learn how opportunities show-up for you when you’re in alignment?
Before I try and explain what came to me after speaking with Betty, I think I should talk about my ‘experience of’ Betty Carew, who I’ve known for over 5 years. I started in recruitment in 2008, in the UK, moving to Calgary in January 2015, to recruit consultants for major project execution. I first spoke with Betty in 2015, when attempting to attract her to LNG Canada’s Kitimat project in. The window of opportunity to attract Betty wasn’t open for long, as Betty’s next offshore assignment quickly found her, yes, the assignment found her. Betty hadn’t long finished with Chevron, in the early phases of Chevron’s KLNG major project. I felt inclined to keep in touch, it wasn’t just Betty’s impressive resume that inclined me to maintain contact with her, it was the initial conversation I had with her and every conversation since, where she was consistent about her direction.
Recently, something came up up for me and it made me think of reaching out to Betty, I sent her a message and she said she wasn’t surprised to hear from me, almost expectant. What could she mean by that? When I spoke with Betty she described synchronicities she’d had show up for her, that made her feel like we should or would re-connect soon, uncanny but it made sense to me when she shared. I shared with Betty why I’d asked to reconnect, it was about an Environmental Professional who was introduced to me from an immigration contact I have. She’d just obtained her Canadian Permanent Residency and is trying to find work in either Victoria, Nanaimo or Vancouver and then move there. I remember Betty talking about some of her connections on Vancouver Island, who I thought would like to hear about this girl. It turns out that she has a couple of people to introduce me to that are likely to have could have opportunities for the Environmental Professional, she’s early in her career, 4-5 years, I can see leadership, she speaks freely about what she is going to do. I’ve built a valuable network by sharing what I’m up to, with trusted contacts, like Betty.
I had this conversation with Betty’s book in hand, as I wanted to reference a couple of things she wrote when we spoke. Betty released her book earlier this year, it’s called ‘YOUR EMERGENCE FROM LEADERSHIP TO HEARTSHIP’ and to me, the title suggests that ‘Heartship’ is something deeper and different to Leadership. As in, Leadership is something you can learn and duplicate and Heartship is something that comes from with-in, like a purpose that you project on the world, when you’re taking action ‘on purpose’. I believe, when we feel free to truly be ourselves, we build a true connections with others and doors open, allowing our individual purpose to unfold.
In conversation about Betty’s book, I asked if the term ‘Heart-Ship’ used in her title was inspired by working offshore, on drill-ships. Betty said the whole book was inspired from her experience of life and business. I liked that, since I have a saying… “it’s business, take it personally” and of course, I’m playing with the upsetting arrangement of words I’ve heard so often “it’s business, don’t take it personally.” Upsetting to me, since, a lot of life for many of us, is business. So when people say that, it’s like they’re asking you not to take a lot of your life personally. Somebody pointed out that with that phrase, I was ripping off what Kathleen Kelly said to Joe Fox in You’ve Got Mail, or Meg Ryan to Tom Hanks. I did see that movie in the 90’s but I’m fairly sure I came to that saying from the emotions I’ve experienced throughout my life. I mention it now, as I think I did to Betty, as a preface , to asking if Betty was ripping off the late great Dr. Wayne Dyer. I asked Betty, if she took the chapter title ‘Our Internal Compass’ from Wayne Dyer’s work, as I’ve heard him say it. She laughed, she said she’s aware of his work and probably heard him say it but reminded me that all the content is from what’s she’s experienced in life. She reminded me of other chapters titled ‘Navigate With Ease’ and ‘The Rising Tide’ are a play on words, form her life, much of life in the business of safety, offshore, on a ship.
All this leads me to the point of me writing this, Betty thanks her Dad when opening her book, after losing him, she dedicated her book to him and thanked him for guiding her to the ‘white doors’ in her life. I discussed that with Betty and it help me realize that because I am acting in alignment with myself or being myself, the ‘white doors’ show up for me. Starting with Prime Essential was a result of sharing with people what I’d like to do, which is build a business that generates the opportunity for individuals to build personal wealth, acting outside of the normal corporate responsibility. This led to a HSE consultant who saw something in me or my vision, introducing me to Doug Thornton and Grant Haws, the owners of Prime Essential. Doug is a big believer in providing people with opportunity and I’m grateful for the support and trust Doug and Grant have given me, to continue the growth of a division for Prime Essential amd apply my vision.
In doing so, I hope to provide a platform for people to excel and take them on a journey to discover their purpose. I’d like to create a space where people can lay out a path of meaning, defined by them, and support them in following it. as Doug and Grant have done for me. So, acting in alignment with your own purpose means opportunities show up, I didn’t look for work, I shared my vision and an opportunity showed up. Betty does this and she’s not had to look for work in years, the assignments just show up, from some of the largest Super Majors, such as BP, Chevron and Shell. Where her approach to Safety through ‘Heartship’, ensures people and other valuable assets are protected.
Betty and I agree, that when working with people, you have to factor in, people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say. Some people need to be given a place where they feel comfortable sharing what they really they really think. Even then, some people still need the information teasing out of them, so you can help them identify the path they should take, in alignment with their purpose.
I know lots of people are struggling to find work at the moment, heightened by the impact COVID has had. To me, Betty’s book affirms,, if you’re pursuing a path of meaning, aligned with what comes from you, opportunities will show up as you create them. If you’re looking for affirmation or trying to find your path, reading Betty’s book should help you on your journey. You can find it here: click
Right now, the path I am to realize my vision includes supporting organizations to identify, attract, and engage the best people for their organizations. Prime Essential is a HSEQ Consultancy, supporting organizations with COR, SECOR, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, CER, AER, BCOGC, COVID-19, ISNetworld, ComplyWorks, Avetta, Safety Program Development, Procedure Writing, and more. We have a division dedicated to Workforce Solutions and if you need to engage a Health, Hygiene, Safety, Security, Environmental, Quality Assurance or Quality Control Professional, we can support you. If you would like an authentic, dedicated, and meticulous approach to securing the best people for your organization, choose Prime Essential.
If you would like learn more about the Prime Essential approach, drop me an email at wwalton@primeessential.com or call me on +1 403 836 8810 and I’d be delighted to share. You can also follow this link and learn more: click
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Thank you for reading!
Wayne Walton