We all have to work for a living, a few lucky ones love what they do and get paid for it. So why if you have found this would you ever leave? Aligning work values with personal values is one of the hardest things in life to achieve. Especially as ones own values shift and evolve as we get older. What seemed important one-day suddenly isn’t the next. What you ignored inside yourself suddenly screams for attention.
Have you ever stopped to write down what you truly value in yourself and in life?
Does it match what you see around you at home, in your partner, at work?
What would you do about it if it didn’t?
Most of us do nothing, especially when it comes to work. Life’s hard enough - right? Wrong. Aligning personally values is the doorway to happiness.
Here is the story of how a creative couple who were living a great life in Hampstead, London working in jobs they loved, leave everything to follow what is truly in their hearts. They feel there is more to life, they want to be true to their values, they want to make a greater contribution to the world. So there leaving creative chic in Hampstead, and going for healthy homeopathy in Devon.
Mani and Amanda are risking everything and buying The School of Health, a small business selling a set of courses, as a stepping-stone into the world of Homeopathy. They are staying true to their values in an attempt to make their dream a reality.
Mani says:
“This is a big step, we are giving up everything we love and enjoy to follow something we know in our hearts is right, but that doesn’t make it easy. I love my work, but I want to do something I feel is better for people, better for the planet, I want to give more back.”
“Re-branding businesses is not dissimilar to homeopathy. Both are about the well-being of an organism. Both are about the discovery of a central state/idea and the healthy expression of that state/idea.”
Amanda says:
“Scambling to get dressed, downing my breakfast, making frantic calls from my mobile, and making rich people even richer is not my idea of living. I’m hardly alone. Yet given the choice I would wager most stressed out souls sharing this road would rather be breathing fresh air, walking the dog and doing something more in-tune with their values. It sounds impossible, but it can be done.”
So what have they been up to?
Mani Norland
33, born in Crouch End, London and grew up in Devon.
Mani is leaving his role on the management team as creative director at 20|20, one of Europe’s leading design, branding and strategy consultancies specialising in the retail sector. During his twelve year career he has worked at many agencies but has always remained focussed on brand.
Among others Mani has re-branded KwikFit, Sainsbury’s, Sky, Holmes Place, Deliverance, Diageo, UDV, Reusch, The Olympics (Greece), Victor Chandler, etc.
Amanda Norland
36, born and raised in Worcester.
Amanda has left her role at 20|20 as Head of Talent, where she scouted for, hired and natured creatives. During her fifteen year career she has worked as a designer in publishing, brand and retail before moving into management.
Amanda has worked with such heavyweights as Speedo, Boots, Sainsbury’s, Spud U Like, Douwe Egberts, Lego, Various, Etam, BT and many magazines at Future Publishing.
The School of Health
The School of Health is seventeen years old. It is based in Wales. It offers a set of courses and books that complement one-another. These include, Homeopathy, Anatomy & Physiology, Disease & Pathology and Nutrition. It targets people that are interested in health and well-being but that do not have the time do an attendance course, many of the students are mums.
Devon
Mani and Amanda are moving themselves, their London flat and The School of Health to a small cottage on the outskirts of a sleepy village called Uffculme in Devon.
Some facts
Only 3 million of the 60 million people in the UK are self-employed.
Less than 25% of employees feel truly loyal whilst many feel trapped.
UK workers work on average 43.6 hours a week, the EU average is 40.3 hours.
4 million people regularly work more than 48 hours a week.
The average employee clocks up £5k of unpaid labour every year.
Over one third of UK managers feel insecure at work.
UK males keep their jobs for 25% less time than 20 years ago.
1 in 5 workers report feeling extremely stressed at work.
3 in 10 employees suffer mental health problems each year.
0.5 million people believe they experience work-related stress that makes them ill.
2 million people are suffering from an illness that they believe is made worse by work.
1 in 8 (around 3 million) UK employees have been bullied at work in the last five years.
Tags: Mani Norland | Amanda Norland | Alternative Training
This entry was posted on 01 March 2005 at 15:20.