Back in late 1990ies when I was working as a regional director for the American Cancer Society I could never have imagined that I would be doing the work I am doing today. As I scan my life and past jobs as a chamber of commerce director, a life coach, a human services director and before that an actress, radio producer, world traveler and yes, even a welfare single mom, I see that every single thing I learned from those jobs serves me now. But now, what I do not only supports my life, but is deeply nourishing to my spirit and hopefully serves a higher purpose in society.

“Do what you love”. These are the words my mother whispered in my ear every day. The same words I passed on to my own children. Does it require a certain amount of courage? Yes. Absolutely. Is it worth it? There is no doubt. So how to begin the process of shifting your passion into your career?

1. Take stock of all the work you have done and notice what you have enjoyed about each one. Then look for connections or overlap. In my case ( I am a Tibetan bowl sound healer and teacher) all my jobs involved some degree of multiculturalism, empowering people, organizing of ideas, events or perspectives. And those are the aspects of each job I loved.

2. Notice if there is a yearning to learn more about something or seeing someone doing something you would love to do but don’t think you can. Take this as a sign! We so easily dismiss our inner signposts the subtle messages we receive because our belief systems don’t match up. I loved the one on one connection and the spiritual side of energy work but didn’t pay much attention to it until I was desperate to find a better outlet for my talents. I loved doing presentations at work because it used my performance skills. Now I travel internationally doing educational sound healing concerts. Who would have thought!

3. Get clear that ANY transition has an aspect of fear. Never allow fear to deter you from your hearts desire. When you follow your passion, the universe usually meets you. ( When I packed up my belongings and moved to California I had no idea how things would work out. I sold or gave away almost everything I owned and said goodbye to friends and family. But I did that after having spent 2 years learning the amazing modality I now practice and teach. I knew it would take time to establish clients and was prepared to do whatever I needed to make some money while I met people and started a client base. It took several months and many free introductory sound healing mini concerts and sessions. Now I have a flourishing practice in an effective and compelling modality that keeps me centered as I help others.

4. “Yes, but” That phrase is a dream assassin. Just stick with “Yes” Did you know that good theater improvisation is based on the ability to say “yes” to every situation? “Yes” keeps the energy moving. So improvise with life in a manner that you can find the ‘yes, and” in situations. Look for what is possible rather than what is not. You would be surprised how fast things move forward by doing this. Simple but not easy. I had to keep reminding myself and noticing the ways I was sabotaging my own efforts. As I have become able to manifest my own dreams, I become better at helping others do the same. I love working with my Tibetan bowls because they help raise consciousness, my own and that of others.

5. Don’t be afraid to be different. It is great to be the first or the only one doing something. If your passion seems a bit wacky- all the better. Really, how many Tibetan bowl sound healers do you know? I was one of the first. It is easier to distinguish oneself when what you do is unique. If what you want to do is not unique then know and be confident that what you bring to it makes it so. Own that completely. Now just go for it.

Diáne Mandle is founder of the Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing School and Sound Energy Healing, providing resources, services, events, and training in the use of the Tibetan Sacred Sound instruments. Like this post? Share it on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest or your own blog.

How to Choose a Tibetan Bowl

There are two questions I get all the time. One is 'How do I choose a good bowl" and the other is 'How do I know which bowl is good for a specific chakra' People also call to obtain a bowl with a certain musical note. The answers to these questions are founded in the Eastern philosophy rather than from a Western mindset, because this better reflects the nature of the instruments as they were intended:

Choosing a good bowl requires a few things. Quality: Either an eye and an ear for excellent quality- or knowing and trusting someone who knows the bowls and can help you. Many people sell bowls and most are new and machine made to look old. Many people who sell bowls in shops and on the internet are not very knowledgable.. so ask a lot of questions. When someone says a bowl is old.. in this country old can mean 50 years. That is new by my standards. A real old bowl it will be at least 100 years old and more often hundreds of years old. If the vendor doesn't know the region the bowls were made in, and how the markings help distinguish the type of bowl.. they probably don't know much..Bowls were made in a variety of regions of Tibet and their shape and markings are telling. Some of the bowls have consciousness transformation as their primary intention, and some have physical healing. This can be determined by their shape. There is more about this and photos in my home study course available on my website. A high quality, ancient bowl is an investment. If it is inexpensive and old,then it was probably obtained in a less than honorable manner...A good bowl is an investment and the price can range from $110 for a very small bowl to thousands of $$ for a huge bowl. Get educated on what you will use the bowl for( ie healing, meditations, yoga practice, creativity etc). That will inform what bowls and how many would be most effective. I can help you here.

Tone: The tone of the bowls should linger for quite some time when struck. There should be several layers of tones you can hear that produce overlaying harmonics. When you hear a bowl, listen to your body. If it opens your heart, or moves you deeply in some manner; if you feel tingling all over, or the tone directly impacts one area of your body.. these are all good signs. Bowls were created for consciousness transformation and healing. You should feel their effect on you.

Bowls and Chakras. In the west we work with seven chakras. The Tibetans work with five regions of the body. The bowls were created to bring us back to our experience of the interrelationship of all things.. thus they are not calibrated to work on just one chakra.. Their very nature encompasses our wholeness. In this way they are very different instruments then the western counterparts- tuning forks and crystal bowls. However there are some bowls whose tone and size lend themselves more naturally to certain areas of the body. Lower tones for grounding, largest bowls by the feet, etc. This is too complex to go into in a blog but there is more on this in my home study course. But you must understand that even if you have only ONE bowl, it will impact all of you, and not just one chakra.

Please post your comments or email me at diane110@cox.net. My home study course is available on my site as is a variety of instruments for purchase. I can help you select some by phone or skype. Website