The Heart of the Work Today Has A Very Different Beat
The fastest way for me to connect to the heart of my work has been to get back to the frontlines as a music therapist. When I step into the field of music therapy and spend time with clients or stand in front of an audience to share the message of music, there is no denying the reason why I do what I do. This ‘work’ gives meaning and direction to my entire week. The clients and audiences I speak to are my ‘why.’
The day-to-day work of a Health Entrepreneur can look very different based on what field you are in. But the heart of the work is always the same. We are dedicated to helping clients reach their desired health and wellness goals. And we always take a “people first” approach when making decisions, based not on financial transactions but on relationships and desired outcomes.
This getting closer to the heart of the work is always a great reminder, and a strengthening agent, to help me keep moving – even through difficult moments.
Recently I have participated in a series of interviews about music for mental health. In the few minutes, before going to air one of the anchors said, “I have been working on a playlist for the last little while and I have called it ‘Heart’ because that is what I am wanting to stay focused on. The heart of it all – what we value, what centers us, what gives us passion.”
When Randy Goldberg and David Heath learned that socks were the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, they decided to do something about it. They created a sock company called Bombas in which for every pair of socks bought, a pair of socks was donated. Through this business model, they had a dream of donating 1 million socks by 2025. However, when they shared their dream, it was able to make a bigger impact than they could have imagined. They have surpassed this goal several years earlier than hoped for and continue to donate over 1 thousand socks A DAY. As a Health Entrepreneur, it is imperative to not only define your values-driven dream but to share that dream with others. Only then can it have maximum impact. @Bombas is an organization that has defined its dream, shared it with the world, and achieved maximum impact.
February seems to be the perfect month to do a self-audit on our personal and business heart – what we do, and why we do it. Central to my business is connecting people to music at the right time and in the right way to help them feel, be and do better. But in order to ensure this happens, I have many more considerations – the health of my team, my systems, my clients, my networks – they all matter.
As music therapists, we are aware that when we are working with our clients we are working with the whole person – and there has certainly been an uptick lately when it comes to considering a person’s mental health. The heart of our work means spending a significant amount of time not only on the ‘why’ you do things but also on ‘how’ you do them. With our team and business practices, we are uniquely positioned to break through many barriers and bring necessary benefits and care to individual citizens and communities. When making decisions, we take a “people first” approach based not on financial transactions but on relationships and desired outcomes.
I feel these last two years have given us every opportunity to access different ways of living, caring, and doing good work. The heart of the work today has a very different beat. I see the success of every health entrepreneur’s business is essential for a healthy society and it is a privilege to be part of a much larger community —health care, education, and business.
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