It's nearly Yellow cup cake time..

It's nearly that time of year.

The yellow cup cakes come out and so do the mental health speakers.

If you're in the mental health space, it might feel like they're coming out of the wood work, taking advantage of this time of year, and of mental health, to make a few quick bucks (how dare they), before they slip back into the bushes like that Homer Simpson meme.

If you have this feeling, I get it..You slog away all year, year after year, helping people, only to see opportunity snatched from your grasp, by people that "aren't as committed to the space".

"Where are you the rest of the year?" ringing out as they post photos of RUOKDay? and mental health month on Linkedin.

"Yeah, just here for the money!"

*Slides cash into wallet*

Here's the truth though..

At one point or another, we were that person.

We were once dipping a toe in, likely because someone saw something in us, that we couldn't see ourselves.

We were unsure, full of imposter syndrome and most definitely doing it for little to nothing.

So if we were to go back to that moment and imagine the courage it took to take that leap, then imagine that the people we look up to as role models, were subtly shaming us for doing so, would we have stuck around?

Some of us would have wilted under the shame and self doubt, vowing "never again"..

And as a community, we may have lost the Blue Trees and the Trade Mutts of the world, and the impact that comes with them.

So I ask...

Can you see the influx through the eyes of someone who wants the best for the space?

Can you see it from abundance and hope, rather than fear and scarcity?

We know that we're at a tipping point. We're at the foot of Mt. Opportunity, ready to ascend, when it comes to workplace mental health in Australia. So even if your "competitors" doubled over night, we'd still be short, struggling to keep up with the demand.

*Puts on a bunch of hats*

In short, if we look with the long term in mind, we need this influx.

We need people at the beginning of their journey.

We need people who are full of energy and passion, lit up by the impact they get to make.

We need them, because although this period comes and goes, the people who dip a toe in during this time, may just find so much fulfilment, that they stick around. They might just stick around and become a part of our business, or create the next Mates in Construction or RUOKDay?.

So, let's celebrate them for the courage it takes to share their stories.. some of them for the first time. Let's get around them, providing the encouragement they need to stick around.

Let's set the standard for healthy competition, by being the welcoming industry that the public would assume we'd be.

Why?

Because mental health needs it.

For mental health speakers in Western Australia, feel free to reach out to me personally. If our team isn't available, we can recommend someone else who we believe is awesome at what they do.

E: [email protected]

W: https://fifomentalhealthgroup.com