A business can be a fun and exciting endeavor for those that have the entrepreneurial spirit.
However, building a business is not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of time, energy, and attention. And with our time and energy so precious, why bother if it's not something that's aligned?
Don't get me wrong, building a business isn't going to be fun and exciting the whole time. In fact, it's more of an emotional roller coaster. But at the end of the day, when the business is aligned with your mission and purpose, the big picture feels so good regardless of the day to day.
What is a soul-aligned business?
It's a business that feels intuitively good to you. It speaks to your inner, authentic being instead of the ego.
It's a purpose driven business and just the thought of it probably lights you up and scares you at the same time.
You know when you're in an aligned business when it feels meaningful and fulfilling to you.
Maybe it's something that you would still do even if you didn't get paid for it - but you deserve to get paid for what you do!
To me, the aligned business is the sweet spot between:
What you desire from your business
The value you can provide to the world
And what the world needs from you
Discover what your deep desires are
Your true authentic self has deep desires that, most of the time, could be traced back to early childhood.
Think back to your childhood, and the things you used to do, pretend, or wished you could do. And see what the underlying core desire is.
It could be the desire to be seen, heard, to create, to express, to teach others, etc!
Take the time to meditate and journal on this for however long it takes. It could be days, weeks, or even months if you've never thought about this before. Be gentle with yourself and don't force it.
For example, as a child I felt the most myself and truly free by self-expressing through dance or gymnastics, creating anything, and teaching others when I'd play pretend school.
So for me, self expression, creating, and teaching are at the core of my desires.
Here are some journal prompts to get you started:
If money or time is not an issue, what would you spend your time doing?
What are you doing when you feel the most joy?
What's something you crave more of in your life?
What are the things that you can talk about for hours?
What are you doing when time seems to fly?
What did you spend hours as a kid doing?
What are you doing when you feel the most in touch with your authentic self?
How you can serve others
For a business to be... well a business, it would have to benefit others and add value to society in some way.
Think about how you can serve others and what you could bring to the table. When you come from a place of service in your business, instead of what you can take from people, your business becomes more meaningful and purposeful.
Try these journal prompts:
What do people come to you for advice about?
What's your go-to method to help someone out?
When you think about giving back, what do you initially think about doing?
What expertise do you have that you know others could use the information?
What have you overcome that you can help others avoid/work through?
What are you naturally really good at?
What the world needs from you
What are the needs in the marketplace?
Do you feel like there's no one talking about a certain topic?
Or maybe there is, but how can you put your spin on it?
An abundance mindset is key here. You might look around and see a million other people doing what you want to do. But no one else can possibly do it the way you do it.
In fact, it's a good thing if there's a ton of other people in your industry, it goes to show that there is such a big demand for it!
It's always good to do market research before diving in to any project or business. Find out who your target market would be in the business you're considering, and ask around to gage their interest. You might find that people need your flavor and personality!
Try these journal prompts:
Who do I want to help the most with my business?
Who else is doing what I want to do and how can I bring my own flavor to it?
How can I shake up the industry and do things better?
Is there a sector of the market that isn't getting served? Can I serve that sector?
Your Soul-Aligned Business Meets in The Middle
Now that you've journaled on these ideas, see if there's a way you can find yourself in the happy middle. Is there a way you can serve your market through a medium that fills your needs?
Even if nothing came to you now, sit with these ideas and keep swirling them around in your mind. Sometimes, you may not even begin with a business in mind, but it progresses from following those tiny steps you feel intuitively called to do.
Trust that when the timing is right, you will know exactly what your next step is.