Nearly three years ago I exited the card-locked corporate office building for the last time and walked into the wild unknown. I was finally going after what I wanted: work that filled my soul and supported me financially.
At the time, I believed it would be easy to make it all work. I was, however, very, very wrong.
Even though it wasn’t easy, I still got what I wanted.
Today, I’m going to tell you exactly how I did it, and how you can get what you want, too.
First, let me tell you a story.
The first step
On June 12, 2009, I left my corporate job to “follow my dreams.” I wanted to create a business that allowed me to make a living without selling my soul.
I am not a trust fund baby, and I don’t have a rich husband. I took the plunge with a small safety net of cash, a big vision for making a difference, and a huge leap of faith that my stubborn determination could pull me through.
The struggles
Getting what I wanted did not come easily. It was not handed to me on a silver platter. It didn’t stem from following magical manifesting techniques. I didn’t have a blueprint formula to instant success.
If you’ve been hanging around with me for awhile, you have read my honest accounts of struggling to make ends meet, learning to find my voice, gaining confidence in my abilities, and dealing with difficult people.
It turns out that those struggles were absolutely essential to me getting what I really wanted. Go figure.
The epiphany
Jump forward from June 2009 to May 2012. I’m in New York City with my mastermind group. It’s nearly the end of last day of our three-day adventure.
It’s my turn to sit in the “hot seat,” a green, plush, throne-like chair at the front of the room. Twenty-two pairs of eyes and ears are turned toward me. The attention makes my stomach flutter and my palms sweat.
“What do you want to get out of your time today?” my mentor asks.
She asked this question to 18 women so far. Hot seats are for diving in and getting exactly what we need for our businesses. I have been thinking about my hot seat time for at least two weeks.
I smile, take a deep breath, and say, “Nothing, really.”
Some of the women look surprised. Others crack a smile, thinking I’m joking.
I pause, then continue. “Let me tell you where I am and what’s going on.”
I briefly describe the plans I made for May and June. I explain that my gut is telling me not to follow those plans. Logically, the plans are solid, but intuitively, they’re off. I have a feeling I’m supposed to take a break from pushing for awhile.
My comments are followed by silence.
I broke one of the the unwritten hot seat rules; I don’t have a plan and I don’t need any help today. At this very moment, I am not trying to up my game. I am not trying to get ahead. I’m not wanting to take my business to the next level.
My mastermind group is comprised of twenty kick-ass, overachieving women, and by golly, we’ve got to keep moving forward. No resting, no stopping, and certainly not nothing for the hot seats.
But nothing was exactly what I had that day. It was perfect. Nothing was perfect because I had finally received exactly what I wanted.
Getting what I wanted
Since leaving my corporate job, I had been trying to reach my dream goal: finding my place in the world, making an income without selling my soul, and working a flexible, on-my-terms kind of schedule.
In April of 2012, everything fell into place.
Click.
No, I’m not a millionaire. But that’s not really one of my current aspirations.
Instead, I have a business that supports the life I want to live. I make my own schedule. I only work on things that light me up. I only work with people I enjoy. I goof off daily. I can take time to rest whenever I need it.
On that May day while in the green throne, I realized that I had reached my goal.
It’s funny how success sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I got exactly what I wanted.
How to get what you want
After my hot seat epiphany, I sat back to think about how I got here, so I could tell you how to arrive at your next success checkpoint and get what you want.
First, set you sights on what you desire.
What is the essence of what you really want?
For me, focusing on too many specific details slowed me down. When I left my corporate job, I thought I wanted to be a life coach who helped people get out of jobs they hated. I imagined that my business would model after what I saw other coaches doing, and that’s what I tried to create. It turns out that getting that specific took me off course for two years. What I really wanted was to make a decent living, make a difference for others, not work long hours, and not sell my soul. The specifics of how my business was structured weren’t really that important.
Think about the end vision of what you desire. Don’t get caught up in unnecessary details. Maybe you want freedom and flexibility; maybe you want to feel financially supported; maybe you want to hug orphans. Anything is perfect, just be sure you’re clear on the broader vision of what you want.
Second, listen to and follow your intuition.
When I first started my entrepreneurial journey I was not very practiced at following my intuition. I heard it speak to me, but I had rarely listened to it.
I began to make a practice of listening to and following my intuition. My intuition helped me make the jump out of the life coaching business that didn’t feel right; it helped me leave a business partnership that was very wrong for me; it helped me make smart investments; it helped me hire the right people as I grew my business.
If you’re afraid to rely solely on your intuition, start by testing it on small things such as what to eat for dinner or what clothes to wear each day. Slowly work up to bigger and bigger decisions until your intuition is running the show–it’s far wiser than your logical mind will ever be.
Third, keep at it.
Even during the scariest moments of the past three years, I found comfort in knowing that I would eventually be able to make entrepreneurship work. Although I couldn’t see how it was all going to happen, part of me knew it would be okay. So I kept learning, reaching, working, resting, and moving forward.
As you focus on the essence of what you want to create and as you let your intuition guide you, see what you feel compelled to learn, reach for, try, test, experiment with, and do. Follow the guidance you receive and remain focused on what you want.
Finally, notice when you arrive at your destination.
My journey is not over. My business has not arrived in some place where it will rest forever. It has, however, arrived for now. I’m enjoying that feeling and loving my business and my clients exactly as they are right now.
Stay focused on your goal and the reason for doing what you do. Have fun along the way. You’ll have your green throne moment before you realize it.
Your turn
I’d love to hear from you. Please tell me how your entrepreneurial journey is going.
Have you had a moment of arrival, or are you still working toward your first big one?
What other insights have you gained from my story?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Jenny — this post landed in my mailbox at exactly the right time. I love what you say about intuition — I think I’ve ignored that voice for a long time and kept trudging through the to-do list. Time to give that voice the spotlight she deserves!
Also, are you part of Marie’s mastermind group?
Love divine timing! Start listening to that intuition and ignoring that dang to-do list (unless your intuition says otherwise!). She’ll get you far.
Yes, I’m in Marie’s Adventure Mastermind this year. Loving it!
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction today Jenny. I can’t tell you how much I needed it. Glad to hear about the Mastermind — I have it on my to-do list — LOL.
Thanks for asking that questions, Marissa! And for sharing this great info, Jenny! I was going to ask the exact same thing. Jenny, how did you decide that Marie’s mastermind was right for you? Specifically, as an entrepreneur, how did you come to terms with the significant investment that it is?
I am at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey and LOVE this post for reminding me that I know myself best and what I want out of my business. I would love a post from you on what you wish you knew when you started — if that exists!
Thanks so much!
Sara
Shortly after I joined B-School I heard about her mastermind program. I was intrigued. I asked people who were in it what they thought. I also had a friend join another mastermind program with another coach and knew how much she was getting out of it.
How did I know it was the right investment? When I know something is right for me or not right for me, I just know. (It wasn’t always that way.) Even though it was a big investment, I just knew it was the right thing to do!
As for what I wish I knew when I first started, here are a few posts that may provide some insights for you:
https://jennyshih.com/2012/03/top-10-things-i-learned-in-my-first-year-in-business/
Awesome! I think this is a very honest and insightful post. We get caught up in comparing ourselvesthat we sometimes lose focus on what WE really want. Money us not always the single measure of success. Thanks for this.
You’re so right! Money isn’t everyone’s measure of success and what WE want is always important. It’s so easy to lose sight of that, especially in the internet era!
Jenny,
This is so beautiful. I love the part about not getting caught up in the details. In this journey to establish my own successful business, I forgot why I left Corp. America in the first place. Freedom. Freedom to chase my dream, be with my family, not work insane hours, and live life. Thanks for the reminder.
You are very, very welcome, Kendrick!
Thanks, Jenny. I have taken notes and am now going to now sit, reflect and write down what my the actual vision for my business is. I’ve had many set backs on my path of creating my own business, tried many different approaches and am now ready to hone, refine and confidently offer my services. My biggest issue has been like you said, to not listen to the market place or customer and allow that you define your business, but to listen to that deeper intuition. That place of trust and love that allows you to know what your purpose is and to truly, madly, deeply believe in yourself. You strike me as being very humble, and I like it!
Lucille 😉
I love that you’re going to figure out what you really want, Lucille! After all, we do this business stuff so we can love our lives and love our work and contribute to the world in a positive way… so why not go after what you really want?! To find your real work and move toward authentic success, start with what you want, not what the marketplace dictates.
I’m not (yet) any sort of a success story, but I’ve recently come to think somewhat same things: Not to focus in too defined goals, but to focus on what I really want as the result.
Your words are inspiring me!
Yes!! You got it!
Hi Jenny!
I hope you know I signed up for RHH B-school through you. I love your post – and identify with it. Sometimes it is hard to be driven if you really already have what you need and want. Sometimes we miss taking the opportunity to enjoy it. I’m at times frustrated that I’m not one of those people that can enjoy the same job for 30 years and see the same family and friends every weekend.
I stopped on Memorial day to pick up an elderly couple that were biking with packs – and it was pouring rain, they were miles from town under a tree. They wanted to wait it out and keep going. I thought, yech, that looks like the worst ever, but I’m pretty sure that they were loving it because it was an adventure they chose. To each his own path and it looks like you enjoy yours!
I really like your emails, good inspiration – and your advice about B-school, I will block out my 3 hours for videos!
Of course it’s hard to be driven and motivated if you have what you want! After all, the drive we often feel is in going after what we want. If you’re happy, enjoy it!
Love your story about the couple! My husband and I biked the length of the Oregon coast several years ago, so I can relate to them enjoying what looked like misery to another–rain! To each her own and you must enjoy your path!
Love this post Jenny! And I love that you’re sitting back and taking a rest from the push…you deserve it.
Thanks, Heather! I’m loving my rest from the pushing. Having so much fun and it feels soooo good!
Perfectly timed post! As I prepare for round 2 of b-school, and still can’t figure out exactly what business to start, your comments really struck home. Your goals sound a lot like mine, and I’ve been thinking I should have a much larger MISSION!!!! in capital letters. But really, I just want a calm, self-directed, enjoyable life where I do something I love and help others in the process. Your post has helped me feel OK about that.
Perfect timing is always fun 🙂 I love that you see the clarity you need for your next step, Barbara. Focus on what you want your life to be like, and see how your unique gifts and talents can make that happen. Don’t set yourself up for frustration by thinking your business should look or be any particular way. Instead, set yourself up for success by creating a business that lets you live a life you love and supports what is most important to you.
Wow Jenny, what an absolutely amazing post.
I often read articles and go…yeah, yeah…been there, done that. Heard that one before. yada yada
For the first time in ages I actually read every single word in a post.
I learnt something.
I went, hmmm, that makes sense.
Especially the part about figuring out what it is that you really want. We can get so caught up in the details and what we think we “should” be doing that we miss the bigger picture.
I see that now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And hugs to Mei Mei 🙂
Oh, you’re so right on, Michelle. We often think we should be doing something just because some other successful person did it that way. Baloney! Focus on what you want in your life and create a business you love, and everything will eventually fall into place.
I’ll pass that hug along to Mei Mei. Thanks for that!
Jenny,
Thank you for this honest and insightful post. Like several people who posted above, your thoughts and wisdom have arrived in my inbox at the perfect time. I thoroughly appreciate your easy welcoming style and excellent writing.
I often struggle with reconciling who I think I am to supposed to be in the world and who I really am in my heart. Day by day I get closer to embracing the fact that happiness is an acceptable state of mind – that being “enough” is a choice we make, not a milestone we hit – there does come a point when you can breathe and love your life for all that it is right now.
I look forward to reading more. I appreciate you!
Leah
Goodness, I’m so thrilled to be a conduit of perfect timing for you, too! Makes me smile every time I write a post that gets that kind of response 🙂
Oh, I feel you on this one, Leah:
“Happiness is an acceptable state of mind – that being “enough” is a choice we make, not a milestone we hit – there does come a point when you can breathe and love your life for all that it is right now.”
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Beautiful Jenny! I’ve loved watching you live this journey and I look forward to seeing what happens next!
Thanks, Martha!
thanks, jenny. exactly what i needed today!! your grace is lovely. kk
You’re welcome! Happy to serve up what you need!
I’ve been feeling similar. Not that I’ve ‘arrived’ necessarily, but that it’s perfectly okay for me to not push forward right now. In this moment I’m doing exactly what I set out to do last year (plus or minus a few little details like steady cashflow), but my desire was to have flexibility, to travel & meet new people, and be part of community even though I was mobile. I have that, in spades. Chilling out & not pushing for something else has been high on my priority list this past 2 weeks. Thanks for putting it into words.
I wish blog comments had a “Like” button, Loralee, because I’d click it right now.
I’m so happy for you that you’ve got what you want in terms of travel. I know you’ve wanted that for your life and I love that you made it happen.
I love this post Jenny ~ thanks for sharing! It all resonated so much with where I’m at (on the “brink” of bringing more clarity to my broader vision). I’ve gotten buried in the overwhelm of the details and modeling others’ businesses – that I’ve lost sight of what my bigger goals are.
SO good to reframe and try on a new perspective.
Thanks again Jenny ~ have enjoyed seeing you around the B-School community this last year. . . love that you do!
I get it! Getting buried in details and modeling after others’ businesses. I did that, too, and it is so easy to do. It does lead us astray from our personal goals. But I’m so glad you’re seeking your broader vision and are on the brink of something…. wonderful, I bet!
This is incredible. I took notes and plan on spending time with my intuition. The simple phenomenon of intuition is something to be pondered and adored! I continually have tiny moments of arrival, and move on to create the next.
The BIG moment of my DREAM job has not arrived, however. It is in the process of being created and developed. I feel lost… but a good lost. I don’t know how this dream will begin but I do know what it will look and feel like when it arrives.
A BIG thanks to you for providing these necessary steps.
Love and light,
Brittney
What a great attitude, Brittney! I feel how genuine you are, too.
I can relate so well to feeling “good lost,” and not knowing what’s next. I applaud your patience and open mindedness as the dream unfolds for you.
Ah, yes, Jenny. I think that you totally hit the nail on the head.
I think that it’s about time that we go getters are finally getting in better touch with our intuition by slowing down and putting down our planned agendas. It feels like such an ego deflater to actually stop and do it differently than we had planned…..well, I’ll speak for myself. 🙂 But…. I think that you catch my drift. 🙂
I am *really* looking forward to continue to let go of “how others do it” and to carve out a way that resonates 100% with me and my wants/needs. In entrepreneurship, it it some times oh-so-hard to (yet again) stop trying to keep up with the Jones’. And just when I thought I was “so over” behaving that way….
Thanks for your truly transparent example of entrepreneurship at its finest.
Structuring our lives and businesses like how someone else does theirs is easy, so it’s natural to default to that pattern. I think learning to follow our own path is life-long endeavor, so be gentle as you correct yourself and redirect your attention to what you want.
And thank you for sharing that you welcome this story’s transparency. I have glimmers, moments, where I want to tell you all that I have everything figured out… but that’s just ridiculous!!! I can’t tell you anything other than my truth, exactly as it is.
Jenny – This is a fantastic post. Beautifully written, and generous. In particular, I appreciate what you are saying about designing the life you want, rather than emulating a business model. Makes so much sense. In the upcoming weeks I am transitioning from working with lawyers (I am a lawyer and this has been my comfort zone) to helping entrepreneurs, small business owners, and artists with their presentation, presence and communication skills (my passion). The timing of reading this post was truly perfect. Thank you so much!
Congrats on making a move toward your passions, Desiree!! I can relate to the discomfort of leaving “what works” to go on to what you love. Good luck to you, and thanks for being here!
What an inspiring story Jenni! Congrats to you on such a huge success! I am not exactly where I want my business to be yet, but I am moving closely to my dreams. It’s extremely important to acknowledge reached goals – they help me with moving forward.
One of my dreams was to have my son with me while I build my business and now I spent 4 days out of week with him while I am working on my dream, and I feel so much better and not only that I’ve achieved more in these 6 months while having him with me then past 2 years while he was in daycare.
You really hit home on of the points closest to my heart, Emina: Allowing your business to support what you want most in your life. (Here’s a post on that very topic: https://jennyshih.com/2012/06/one-question-you-must-ask-to-create-a-business-that-supports-your-dreams/)
The fact that you can spend time you want with your son and work on your business at the same time is a HUGE deal. I love that you said you’ve accomplished more during that time. I think that it goes to show that when you let what you want in your life to control your business, BIG things happen. Thanks for sharing that here!
Hi Jenny,
I love your story! As I was reading your journey, it made me sit back and think about mine. I’m in the Skin care business, have my own salon in NYC as well as my own holistic skin care line. I also left my corporate job and followed my dreams. This is my 3rd year in business and yes, I have arrived but not fully, at least not what I had planned. The last two and a half years was like a dream. I was moving 100 miles / hr and never took the time to stop and look back on my journey. Never took the time to see how I got here.. the funny thing is that it was my clients who made me realize how much I have achieved and that I should be proud of myself.
I actually took this week off to re-energize myself and to take the time to think about how I got here and the steps that I need to take to move forward to bigger things. I now know I am not alone.. Thanks for this post!
WOW, Cecilia! Congrats on all that you’ve achieved. I love that your clients reflect your success back to you. Sounds like you needed that pat on the back!
Good move taking some time off to re-energize. We can’t go 100 mph forever!
Thanks Jenny! You have showed me to do what is right for me and it not just about the financials. Sometimes I feel that peoples ideas are great but not for me. I will stay true to my gut instinct and think of you!
Stay true to yourself, Suzie, and you’ll always have what you need 🙂
You are a very brave and inspiring woman. Thank you for sharing your experience. I love your reveal of your awareness that your business had arrived. I can’t even begin to imagine the jaw dropping reactions. Way to honor yourself. Big hearts your way, Jenny! xo
Thanks for your support, Amber! I know you’ve been kicking some major ass, too!
It felt great to acknowledge what I achieved and to also honor that it’s time to let off on the gas for awhile. 🙂
I feel like I am in a similar situation. I had a big individualized dream of what I was going to do after going to Ayurveda College. But durring internship I got stuck in a box. Now after two years I am stepping out of the box and starting to live my original dream:)
Yay! Live YOUR dream, Niight Wind. No one else’s will ever feels as good.
As I read this via a twitter link, I couldn’t believe how much your words were echoing my own current journey. It seems to me that holding on tightly to some vision of what defines “success” is in and of it’s self a source of the very unhappiness I struggled to make a break from in thec
corporate world. I too am a coach and I spent the first part of my journey trying to emulate what I saw others doing and achieving their standards of success, and feeling hopelessly inadequate. I realised in a moment of clarity driving home from a client I love, that I currently have everything I desire: a way of supporting myself, clients I love and work that inspires me daily. And that what I had achieved I had done through just being me, authentically. No strategy, no big story, no power suit. Just me and what I had to offer. I wouldn’t swop my life now for anything else. No thanks.
Isn’t it so funny how we try to copy others to achieve success? I laugh when I catch myself doing that–because it still happens. It’s obviously easier to copy than to think for ourselves sometimes, but it does take us away from our own success.
I LOVE that you see that you have everything you desire and that you got there by being yourself! “Just me and what I had to offer.” LOVE THAT!
Thanks for sharing that here, Amanda. Congrats on reaching your own definition of success!
Hi Jenny!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I feel like I’ve had to go through quite a longer pause than I expected from pushing into being, allowing and trusting. This space has provided time for reevaluation of what I have created into what’s the next authentic place to focus my energy in terms of business growth. Also, I just love how you said to listen to your intuition, since intuition development is what I teach and it’s always validating to see how other entrepreneurs are really paying attention to this vital wisdom innate within us! I will revel in this place of arrival, thank you for the reminder.
XO!
Christina
You teach others to follow their intuition?! Love that. Gonna go check out your site. I really rely on my intuition to run my business, which is funny because I have an engineering degree and grew up in a very left-brained focused household. It took a lot of work to get out of that left hemisphere and learn to listen to my intuition… and trust it. I know that it’s not my gift to teach others how to listen to it, so I’m glad that someone else is!
I’m glad to hear that you are reveling in your arrival!! We all need to step back and do that from time to time!
Love this post, and the same way it was ‘taboo’ for you to “say nothing” at your mastermind group, it’s “taboo” for me to leave a “Love this post” comment.
But hey, I’m doin’ what feels right, and it feels like success 😉
Rock on and ryze up, Jenny 🙂
Thanks, Jason! Love people who can keep it real 🙂
This is a fantastic post. It’s like you’ve written the post I can see myself writing in 3 years time!
I’ve just started out in business and am often questioning what I’m offering – because it’s not the way a lot of others in my business do things, and I second guess myself, wondering whether I should be doing it differently, more like them. But I keep ending up back at the point of realising, well actually, I’m doing it the way I feel is right.
But I’ve arrived at success before and not realised it – and when I did notice, I wrote myself a letter to point out how far I’d come!
The weirdest part is that I was tonight creating a vision board, the kind I’ve read about, with all the physical manifestations of success on it. And I was struggling to find things that looked right, so I stopped and went on Twitter, and then found this post. And actually, this point:
“It turns out that getting that specific took me off course for two years. What I really wanted was to make a decent living, make a difference for others, not work crazy hours, and not sell my soul. The specifics of how my business was structured weren’t really that important.
Think about the end vision of what you desire. Don’t get caught up in unnecessary details. Maybe you want freedom and flexibility; maybe you want to feel financially supported; maybe you want to hug orphans. Anything is perfect, just be sure you’re clear on the broader vision of what you want.”
is the real kicker for me! What defines success, for me, is not the stuff I have but the life I have and the way I feel. It’s making a decent living, making a difference to others, not working crazy hours and not selling my soul. That’s what I need on my vision board.
And the last thing that resonates like crazy is the faith – I know that if I keep at it, I’ll get there. I can make it work. There’s no doubt. It’s nice to know other people feel like that too.
Amazing post, perfect timing. Thanks!
I LOVE perfect timing, so thanks for saying that it was just for you… now and in three years 🙂
I totally hear you on the vision board thing, which is why I’ve never been able to create one! I don’t care what kind of car I drive or whether my couch is like this one or that one. This January a friend suggested that I scour magazines for images that make me smile or ignite something within me–regardless of what they are. I made a vision board of things that make me feel good when I look at them, but they aren’t material things I strive for. Looking at my vision board makes me smile and feel deeply at peace–exactly what I strive for in life.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Tracy. I’m so glad you did!
Absolutely profound message and very inspiring indeed. I am from South Africa and my wife has started a home based catering business part time while she is working for a corporate company as a PA. She has a passion for cooking and baking and she loves preparing food and seeing people enjoy it. She receives only compliments from her clients and yet she is still working because she is unsure if going full time in business is going to yield financial rewards more than her current salary. With the part time venture she still has a monthly salary at the end of the month plus the extra cash she receives from catering. I am trying to encourage her to quit the corporate job and promote her catering business and she will become successful. I believe that one has to take a leap in faith and follow your passion to be successful. She wants to quit her full time job but the part time catering business is not consistent in terms of orders. She has been busy with orders for three weeks and for the past week there are no orders which is causing her to doubt whether to go full time ot remain employed and just do the catering on a part time basis. My view is that if she quits her full time job she will have more time to market and promote her own business and increase her client base. That way she will receive more large orders every day and that will result in more income than a paid job. Any advice or suggestions from readers and coaches will be greatly appreciated. Please send me your suggestions directly is possible. May the Universe provide everyone with their desired abundance.
Right on, Jenny! LOVE it…I remember the day that I had a similar experience. I realized that I already had what it was I was working towards. The financial windfall hadn’t/hasn’t happened yet, but an underlying sense of security, time with loved ones, happiness, compassion, laughter, freedom, joy and love of my life and others was/is in place! Even though I’m early in my business, the spirit of my brand is rooted in my life experience. Thank goodness, I have people like you in my world that remind me, encourage me and are simply witness to what success really is to me! Love and hugs to you…and wishing you a super Sunday!
Thanks for being here, Thais! Financial windfalls rarely happen in business, I believe, because we’re always setting our sights higher and higher. Instead, I’m a proponent of exactly what you did–noticing that you have what you want: underlying sense of security, time with loved ones, happiness, compassion, laughter, freedom, joy and love.
Congrats on seeing that you already had what really matters, and you can still work toward more success in your business (or whatever) at the same time.
Glad you’re here!
Jenny, what a great post! One of the most refreshing things I’ve read in a long time. Huge congrats to you – I hope you celebrated big time with your mentor and the rest of your group.
You are SO right about vision being essential. It’s gotten me through some really tough times in my business and music career (I’m a songwriter, music teacher, and now a coach for creative types.) I’m so glad I had mentors who insisted that I get that vision in place for myself and always keep it in mind as I moved forward.
I am very certain that I would not be where I am today without it. I set the vision in place – also no “magical manifestation” required (love that! 🙂 ) worked it, grew into it, and am now seeing great opportunities opening up because of it. So I can totally relate to your experience here.
Thanks for starting off my Monday on a great note!
Love this story, Leanne. Thanks so much for sharing it here! I’m glad I could start your Monday off right 🙂
As you can see, I’m poking around your site today! 🙂
I “got serious” about starting a business about a year ago, and have changes courses officially at least five times and in a lot of small ways about 50 times. I have written and re-written my ‘services’ and ‘mission’ pages and I update my bio weekly!
I feel like my ‘big idea’ for how to connect my various passions is still out there, BUT over many years of tinkering with direct sales, an Etsy shop, women’s ministry, unofficial mentoring, learning online marketing, etc. I have, like you did, gotten a lot of experience under my belt, both with what TO do and what NOT to do!
I’m still looking for the ‘big idea,’ but MY intuition says it’s coming soon! And in the meantime, you are helping me get there!! 🙂
As long as you’re poking around, check this out. It talks about my “80% rule,” which may help you determine when what you’ve got is good enough.
https://jennyshih.com/2012/10/the-perfect-business-myth-have-you-been-fooled/
I came across this post via your Top 10 in 2012, which I’ve been working through.
Fantastic advice! Intuition is so important. It’s hard to explain to people who don’t understand or don’t think that way, but we really do need to look inward to figure it out and then act.
YES! I am ALL about working on this now with my clients – the WHY – and it feels so good. AS new entrepreneurs we tend to jump right to the HOW without being really clear about exactly what we want and how it might fit into the bigger purpose of our lives.
And I’m noticing that when I start to listen to m intuition (this has been a learning process for me, too!), it all starts to feel SO much easier!
Beautiful post Jenny! I love your emphasis on following your intuition and resting in a place you have worked hard to get to (even if the rest isn’t forever).
Jenny,
This gives me a lot of hope today. As someone who has learned a ton the hard way in my first year of “business” (as it doesn’t quite feel like I’m really “in business” yet) and I’ve totally done the “hard” work thing, pushing, “overing”, doubting etc. What a relief it would be to just let go a bit, trust and tune in. Just curious, how did you develop your intuition? I must say that the whole TRUSTING thing both in my entreprenuer abilities and making good decisions feels a little bit weak at the moment.
So thrilled for you–it’s been so amazing to watch and see all you’ve done. Inspirational. xo
How did I develop my intuition? Mostly lots and lots of practice. 🙂
First thing was to notice when I had a hunch about something. It could be something teeny tiny or really big. Then I would decide if I wanted to listen to it. When I was first practicing, I didn’t always trust it. So even if I didn’t follow my hunch, I’d make a note that my mind wanted A and my hunch was saying B. Then I’d see how the scenario played out. Sometimes I would see my hunch was right or other times wrong. Sometimes we just don’t know! I’d collect data on what the hunch felt like, where it came from, etc. Over a long period of time I’d start to notice that hunches that were right-on felt like THIS but hunches that were wrong felt like THAT.
The second way I’d practice would be to pick random, inconsequential things to try using my intuition. Things like what to eat, buy at the grocery store, route to take to get to a certain place, etc.
Another tool was to learn to get really quiet in my being. To learn what I was feeling emotionally and physically. To eventually be able to distinguish between feeling nervous because an idea is wrong versus feeling nervous because an idea is really right, just scary. This has become a well-honed skill that I’m most deeply grateful for. It helps me get out of my own way A LOT 🙂
This is a pretty in-depth topic and I’m certainly not an expert, but I have learned how to really make it work in many areas of my life. Hope these ideas give you a place to start!
Very inspiring,
I think I have a bit of a similar desire, lets call it creative care, I want to help others and be creative. I thought Art school was the road and discovered that it was not, at least not now, I discovered that my aproval addiction was so intense and the perfectionism made it all the more impossible to ever accept approval that I simply paralised myself.
Despite all that I’ve read about the subject and all the therapy I’ve had, I”m still struggling, I have such high expectations and am hardly ever satisfied when I finally achieve something. At least that’s the attitude that took over while in school, while before that when I was doing things for me more than anyone else, also keeping things to myself or only sharing with people I trusted, which were very few, I was still an overachiever but I was more accepting and kind to myself. It seems that under certain circumstances I get more negative, like school, or any place where I feel judged by others, which is pretty much all the time, even just walking down the street.
Anyway, I am getting some more therapy and seeking a safer environment to continue evolving, I am not giving up, just seeking an environment that supports my growth despite my vulnerable state of being, as I’ll call it for now. And perhaps my inability to keep myself safe and feel strong all on my own, for now. I don’t mean to sound like a cry baby, it’s just how I experience it, I know I can learn and get stronger, I also know that I am not feeling the strength right now and I know I find comfort in people like therapists and other caregivers, perhaps because I never found that comfort before as a young girl and only in therapy did I discover that there are people who care and also do what they love instead of following a set of guidelines and rules without getting out of the comfort zone, thus never really growing. Maybe I need to learn to trust people, or perhaps most of all to trust myself, my heart that is.
Love your post though, gives me hope and direction.
Hi Jenny!
I very much enjoyed reading your post! From its honest, candid and real perspective I see how it would give hope to so many who struggle with life, work and other relationship experiences.
After reading the majority of your readers comments I was astonished (not really) as to how many men responded! (Did not respond) Thanks to Jason for making our presence known. Without intention to appear sexist in any way, I find it true, in my experience with men, many of them are not too concerned with change, at least on the surface or perhaps they are unwilling to address it publicly.
I do wish to say your scenario and experience is shared by so many, including myself. I am far from the Shangri-la of life but I have come to accept what is most important to me as a human being. When I put my actions of the past into this context I find I have been doing much of what excites me for a very long time…just not in the optimum environment.
I now do what I love for free and for money depending on the situation and it is imperative for me to understand that I do not always need to see the outcome. But I must always perform the task(s) which lead the that which excites my soul.
Getting this point across is my mission in life for of what purpose does one decide to take a journey? To wander aimlessly or to be exactly what produces goodness, wholeness, happiness and joy!
Oh…and BTW, that what’s your article has done for me!
Thanks,
Bruce
This article was exactly what I needed. Thanks!
Please start a Group on Facebook!
I think it benefits more people, unless you teach me how a Blog has additional benefits (?).
Love,
Johnboy