2017 Bess's Mentoring Story
Bess has kindly shared her mentoring experience to inspire others that 'dreams can come true' and that it can happen quickly. Bess explains the her holistic experience.
My Career
For many years, I had wanted to study architecture overseas but never really found the right avenue. One day, when I had almost given up all hope, Sharyn suggested that while I was in the UK, I should take a five day visit to Switzerland. ‘What?’ I thought, ‘I really don’t want to go to Switzerland, its expensive and I’ve already been, what’s the point?’
Before I left Australia, Sharyn told me that I wasn’t coming back. For me this would be ideal as I wanted a career in Europe, but at the time I thought, “Yeah right - I have to come back to Australia to finish my degree!”. But now after being here, and with further advice and inspiration from Sharyn, I can finally see a way in which staying and completing my degree in Switzerland would be possible.
In a recent chat, I said “Sharyn, if you had told me 12 months ago that I would end up in Switzerland with minimal fuss, studying at one of the top universities for architecture, I wouldn’t have believed you.” And Sharyn replied, “Bess, that’s exactly what I told you 12 months ago.” And she’s right.
What I have come to realise and appreciate is the knowledge and wisdom shared by Sharyn, is a great help in understanding our place in the world, the role we play, our own characters and living a compassionate and harmonious existences. But what Sharyn has to offer is much more ...
It’s not that Sharyn’s teachings or theories about the universe are unique (in fact they are present in numerous religious and spiritual world views) but it’s that Sharyn has both the ability to comprehend this immense universal knowledge and also has a great gift to be able to easily communicate and explain these understandings to others in a plain and uncomplicated manner with love and laughter that helps you to achieve your dream.
Knowingness and Insight
Sharyn’s magic is that she will often say things that leave you sitting there wondering, “How the hell did she know that?!” Sharyn is uncanny in getting to the bottom of your issues. She’ll say, “But ok, what’s really bothering you?” and half the time I have no idea, or rather, I’m in denial about what it is that’s holding me back.
But Sharyn has the ability to name what the issue is with unwavering accuracy and I’ll have to admit she’s right, every time. Not only have these moments left me dumbfounded by how she knew exactly what my issue was (“omg she actually knows”), but it’s also been instrumental in allowing me to realise and acknowledge what’s really negatively affecting me. In other words, Sharyn has the balls to tell you what you don’t want to hear or accept, but need to. Talks with Sharyn are always a tough, but necessary, wake up call.
Another illustration of Sharyn’s uncanny ability is that she can give deep and accurate descriptions of people without ever having heard about them or met them. This is incredibly useful to allow you to navigate and better understand your relationships. It’s also a testament to Sharyn’s connectedness with the universe.
Love and Support
When I'm feeling like I have hit a brick wall, I'd call Sharyn and instantly I am reset with positive motivations and new clarity. Sometimes it's an inspirational pep talk, and sometimes Sharyn knew all I needed was to be told to cut the self-pity. Her insights and connectedness gave her the ability to fully guide me through this traumatic experience in a way no other person in my life was able to, to the point where I no longer think of it as a traumatic experience.
I remember wondering how on earth this was possible – upsetting but ultimately ok? How was that possible? This woman obviously doesn’t know what she’s talking about! But almost four weeks later to the day I was dumped, and that’s exactly what it felt like. I can honestly say it was one of the most traumatic experiences I have ever been through. And yet, almost within a number of weeks, I was feeling great and it was all thanks to Sharyn’s insight and foresight to prepare me, which inspired me to focus on the future.
As you can see, Sharyn’s guidance has been bigger than just my study trip to Switzerland or relationship advice. It’s not that Sharyn has helped me to build a vision of my future, it’s that she has inspired me to believe that achieving my dreams is possible, and more importantly to explain the practicalities behind achieving them.
Sharyn’s foresight of my future and her inspirational conversations offer me the excitement and energy to go out and try things I wouldn’t previously have bothered with. But this inspiration always comes with a healthy dose of practical guidance and strategy, it’s not all just talk.
Sharyn’s foresight and guidance over the two years I’ve known her have been incredibly powerful in all aspects of my life. Sharyn's wisdom shared with me has had significant effect.
However, at a loss of what else to do I went to Switzerland for 5 days in conjunction with a trip to the UK. Before departing I googled ‘top universities for architecture’ (also a suggestion of Sharyn’s). At the time one website listed ETH Zurich in Switzerland was the third best university in the world for architecture. So, I emailed the university and got a very friendly reply. This was just the start of the journey and it was to foreshadow the ease with which the rest of the process took place. ETH could not have been a better choice – the fees are basically non-existent in Switzerland and it's a world leader in my field. Before I knew it, I had applied, and been accepted, to be a visiting student at ETH. Everything had fallen into place.
Sharyn’s guidance was also invaluable in helping with the finer details of this study trip – her advice in choosing a place to live and which classes to take were incredibly accurate and has really helped me to get the best out of my stay.
Through Sharyn’s guidance I have engaged in a larger understanding of the world and a sense of true knowingness. This has brought me much peace and confidence. It has also allowed me to challenge my perceptions that were previously hindering me to access all dimensions and possibilities of my life.
Sharyn’s words of wisdom were also very meaningful to me after I had my first major relationship break up. In fact, she predicted the break up. One evening she said to me, “Something quite upsetting will happen to you in about four weeks”. As a side note, I remember my whole body tensing and thinking, “Oh god my mum’s going to die!” but I didn't say anything. Sharyn immediately said, “Why do you think it will be your mum?” (another example of a “How the hell did she know that?!” moment.) But Sharyn reassured me, it wasn’t going to be as devastating as death, it would be really upsetting but it would be ok.
What I would ultimately like to convey is that I often doubt Sharyn's insight and foresight. “Can I really trust this advice?”, “How can she really know this?” are phrases that often stick in my head. But I only have to think of all the times Sharyn’s wisdom has been uncannily true and I’m reassured of Sharyn’s immense and invaluable positive role in my life.
If you would like direction with your future, contact us today.
Today Bess is completing her final year at University in Switzerland and has successfully commenced her internship with a Swiss Architecture firm.
My Personal Growth and Self Confidence
Clarity and Inspiration