It was ten years ago, back in the ‘before times’ of 2012 when our worry was the Mayan Calendar announcing the end of the world, that I started thinking more seriously about starting ‘my own thing.’ I didn’t know then, but that’s when I started learning how to mine my mistakes for gold.
In true Gemini form, I researched, read, and toyed with the pros and cons. Since then, when I first imagined the possibility of one day having my ‘geographically independent business’ (aka I could work from anywhere, but preferably from home), I’ve made my fair share of ‘mistakes.’
Perhaps they weren’t mistakes per se, as the experiences always teach us something. But the sense of disappointment, overwhelm, or feeling like the financial investment didn’t pan out sure felt like mistakes in the narrow sense of the word.
Hindsight helps us see how shitty experiences are the manure for our deepening experience and know-how.
What led me to those ‘mistakes’ was a combination of:
- being seduced by the shiny objects of slick marketing with all its promises of sure-fire success,
- feeling like if I could only ‘follow the (proven) formula,’ I’d achieve my dream quickly,
- joining masterminds with coaches who weren’t grounded leaders able to manage the group container effectively, and
- lack of self-knowledge and self-compassion when it came to what I thought I should be doing, as opposed to accepting the learning curve journey I was on.
But of all these ‘mistakes,’ the trickiest one to recognize as such, and one that still trips me up and triggers my inner Imposter Syndrome is the ‘trying to fit into a box.’
Trying to fit in is the quickest and shortest path to losing oneself.
But there’s something about the word ‘business’ that often makes one feel pulled in differing directions, thus losing themselves in a rap sheet of ‘shoulds.’
From my vantage point, I’ve learned that business is an embodied spiritual journey because it’s about the very lived experience and application of our values, vision, trust, faith, as well as the vessel of the unexpressed or unconscious parts of ourselves.
Business is profoundly personal and healing if we broaden our perspective on what it can be for us.
Wondering how to bring your gifts to the world and reimagine the ‘mistakes’ made? Come check out my coaching offer here.
Featured photo credit: Sarah Kilian
Second photo credit: Brett Jordan
