Years ago, Martha Collard, the founder of Red Doors, was on her knees scrubbing the dust off the floors of her newly renovated gong studio in Hong Kong when tears started to pour down her face–she was preparing to open her studio, and only seven people had bought tickets to the opening night event. She felt cornered and scared. She had poured all her money into opening this new studio and was worried she wouldn’t make the money back. A voice in her head told her to give up. But another louder voice emerged, telling her three words: “Suck it up.” “Suck it up? What do you mean suck it up?” she asked. She interpreted that voice to mean what is meant to be, will be. Collard kept scrubbing and wiped the tears from her face. Two days later, on the opening night of her studio, over 100 people had purchased tickets to the event she had planned. She broke even.
Collard’s story displays the remarkable perseverance and faith required to live in your purpose. Collard’s career as a gong practitioner began as a pivot from a 28-year career in management consulting throughout Asia. “I worked largely in the area of people and performance, anything from a partner and executive search firm to career counseling to doing training needs assessment and leadership development, etcetera.” Her last gig in management consulting was setting up a wellness retreat for 5,400 people in Hong Kong. From there, she started to explore her wellness journey, setting up the Yoga Society of Hong Kong and exploring Kundalini Yoga. During a 28-day Kundalini yoga teacher training in New Mexico, she participated in a transformative gong bath. “I was transported. I flew through the universe and witnessed the big bang,” says Collard. She then began to explore gong practice and trained under the esteemed Don Conreaux. Soon after, she opened the first dedicated gong center in Asia.
Since opening her first studio, Collard has led retreats and conventions worldwide in venues ranging from underground nightclubs to mountaintops. She’s worked with executives and did excellent research to improve our understanding of the gong’s efficacy. At the end of a 12-week study with just 20 minutes of gonging once a week, Collard and her colleagues found participants “had 100% improvement in sleep…83% decrease in perceived stress, and…72% improvement in overall well-being.”
We can learn the power of pivoting to pursue your passions from Collard’s story. Everyone has a passion, but not everyone dares to pursue it. Following your passion has a transformative power that can ignite a profound change in your life. When you pursue what truly inspires and fulfills you, magic happens. Passion fuels motivation, perseverance, and a deep sense of purpose, propelling you to overcome obstacles and push beyond limits. It unlocks creativity and innovation, enabling you to make unique contributions to your chosen field. Following your passion aligns your actions with your authentic self, leading to greater happiness, fulfillment, and personal growth. It inspires others, creating a ripple effect of positive change in the world. Embrace your passion, and watch as it transforms your life in extraordinary ways.
If you’d like to learn more about taking the leap and pivoting with purpose, you can sign up for the Dream Lab at Compassionate Leaders Circle.
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