How to Love Working for Yourself

In April 2007 I resigned from my comfortable office job with the intention of making a living doing what I love.  Within the year I had birthed Crafting the Sacred and found my groove as a creative spiritual entrepreneur making it on my own.

I want to share with you some of the self-care business practices I have learned along the way so that you too can truly love working for yourself.

Adapt or Die

Over the past five years I have changed the services and products I offer, how I market them and even my website design numerous times.  It’s been a meandering road of honing what I love doing, what I’m actually good at and what I want to be paid for.

One of my greatest lessons has been to let go of attachment of what my business “should” look like, what services I “should” offer and letting go of products that were not quite right for my target audience.

I have found that as long as I stick to my intention for my business – to support women being their full creative and passionate selves – the details of how it happens are less important.

When we listen to the voice of “should” or try to follow external expectations, our energy constricts and our clients feel it.  The juicy growth lies in being adaptable and flexible so that energy continues to flow into your business.

Know when to tweak and adapt your business while sticking to your intention.

Don’t Sweat the Other Job(s)

There is a myth amongst creative entrepreneurs that once you identify your passion or soul work, you should leave your day job and the money will follow.

While I do believe that we thrive when we do our soul work, it is not always realistic that you’ll be able to support yourself immediately.  Most business take at least two years to turn a profit.  Two years is an awfully long time to not be able to pay the rent!

As I started my business just before the economic downturn, I had to find creative ways to supplement my income.

During the worst of the recession I worked a few days a week at a local needlework store.  I have also sold used books on-line, participated in paid focus groups and earned affiliate commissions.  Last year I even did voice-over work for TRON-inspired gaming products.

There is no shame in supplementing your business earnings with other work.  It is simple economics and does not mean you are not serious about making your soul work, work.

Give yourself permission to make an easy transition into self-employment.

Follow your Body’s Rhythm

I never did well with the traditional 9-to-5 work schedule as I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination.  My favorite perk of working for myself is that I determine my work schedule.

I have found that it works best for me when I match my work schedule to the natural rhythm of my body, mind and energy cycles.

Ever since I switched up my day to quiet mornings of correspondence and social media; more energetic afternoons and early evenings of seeing clients; and occasional reflective evenings of writing and brainstorming, I am far happier…and productive!

Pay close attention to your natural energy rhythms, e.g. when do you work best with others, when is your mind the most alert, when do you love to schmooze, and the seasonal shifts in your energy.  Plan your work schedule and project deadlines to align with your body’s natural rhythms.

Harness your body’s natural cycles to be more effective with your time.

Bookkeeping is Empowering

For a creative spiritual entrepreneur I may be an anomaly as I have to admit that I love systems and order.  Despite the right brain orientation of my intuitive work, my analytical left brain loves smooth systems.

So it was not hard for me to implement simple bookkeeping systems from the get-go.  Initially I used simple excel spreadsheets to track income and expenditures and then switched over to Quickbooks a couple of years ago.

What I found is that not only did it make tax time less stressful, but that I actually thrived when I was on top of my numbers.

I get so much satisfaction being able to track my income from my business each month and look at the trends.  It has helped me to recognize the seasonal ebbs and flows in my work, which allows me to plan for the fallow times.  More importantly, knowing the numbers helps me own my successes – big and small.

Taking charge of the numbers side of your business empowers you to own your success.

Saying No to Scarcity

When I first started out I was essentially on call 24/7 as I would attempt to respond to all client and potential client calls and e-mails immediately.  I quickly began to feel burnt out and resentful.

I took a long hard look at what was underlying this practice and what was driving me to live in stress.  I came to realize that it was deeply rooted in my own scarcity mentality.

I was telling myself that if I did not answer this potential client’s e-mail within minutes, I would lose income causing my business to fail.  This has been my biggest a-ha moment in my approach to my business.

Recently I have changed my business practices to become clearer in my communication on my working hours, response time and payment terms.  In saying no to the scarcity mindset, I have been able to relax and be more emotionally available in my interactions with clients.  And sure enough this is paying off financially.

When you let go your fear of scarcity, you have more to give – and receive – in your business.

I truly love my work as a Coach and Intuitive Reader and being able to be so creative in how I run my business.  I have learned so much about myself in the process of doing the work I love – from the practical systems that make it run smoothly behind the scenes to self-care rituals that sustain me as a creative spiritual entrepreneur.

Do any of my experiences resonate for you?  I’d love to hear your own experiences in loving the work you do.

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