Considering what’s next? Ask: what’s the goosebump factor?

Wondering what to do with your life (or just which project to jump into next)? Ask yourself: does it pass the goosebump test? Does it have ‘juice’?

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

At the moment, I’m taking a ‘branding for solopreneurs’ course taught by a billion dollar UK entrepreneur, who started small, and at one time in her life spent a year in the hospital thinking she could never walk again.

She’s encouraged us to think big. She’s encouraged us to ‘play’. So in my wee War Room (den), I’ve surrounded myself with the things that symbolize who I am, what I believe and what activities give me the most joy. My inner work of the past eight years.

What I’ve noticed is that my ‘big ideas’ didn’t come from ‘out there’… they have been waiting patiently inside me. And each has something to do with a stories of my life.

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey

You know who Suzanne Somers is, right? She’s been controversial because of her take on healthcare (she’s a cancer survivor). She’s also written 19 books, and is very successful. About her success, she said: “I’ve basically taken my problems, and created businesses around them.”

Think about it: she’s created successful businesses based on her problems.

We’ve all had problems. They all link to one of our life stories. Maybe it’s a Birth story. A Love story. A Career story. A Money story. A Family story. A Health story. Or a hybrid.

Great leaders have a personal story where they’ve overcome. The billionaire Anne McKevitt that spent a year in the hospital thinking she couldn’t walk. Michael J. Fox, comic actor and founder of a Parkinson’s research foundation. Oprah, born into poverty and abuse. I could go on and on.

Back to you. Are you considering your ‘next move’? Look to your own life stories. What have you learned? How might your hard-won wisdom authentically fire-up the venture you’re considering?

What do you want?

It’s a big question that often creates silence and wide-eyes. One that leads to other big questions, in particular: Who are you? What’s important to you? Why?

Why ask?

Over the years, I’ve learned that a career question isn’t really a career question. A family question isn’t really a family question. A love question isn’t a love question. ‘Those people’ and ‘That company’ and ‘My family’ or ‘My kids’ aren’t the issue.

When we peel away the layers… it’s always a ‘Me’ question.

When authentic people speak… whether to one or millions, I get a whole body sensation that vibrates through me. Sometimes there’s goosebumps. Often, tears. 

How could you use what you’ve learned in life to inject new life into your business? How would telling your story to others feed your own heart? What’s your goosebump factor?

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. – Theodore Roosevelt

Still finding your way? What if… You are at this time and place in your life, receiving some wee wake-up calls, because, once you emerge from the struggle, you will have such great gifts to offer. New stories. Yes for your family, and others you love… but potentially, for people down the block. Or maybe even around the world.

How does that feel to you? If it scares you a little… you may be onto something.

However you decide to evolve the stories of your life, my hope is that as we ease our way into spring, you will re-discover through the quiet space of experience… what’s lying clear, unwavering and true within your heart.

For wherever you decide to travel, this is where the juice lies. The juice of your life.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

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