Honoring your intuition...and having an authentic business.

I turn 50 this year.  And am in the thick of menopause.

So my "bullshit" meter is off the charts.  

You mean in detecting others' bullshit?  I suppose that is true sometimes.  Haha!  

But mainly, I'm tuned in to my own bullshit.  I can now see where I feel uncomfortable, stressed, out of integrity, or fake, much more quickly.  I see where I overwork, try to please others, and ignore my inner guidance from God.

I find I have to meditate every day, to bring me back to center.  To my own place of inner peace.  The 10 years I spent practicing a slow form of yoga, are helping me now.  I breathe deeply and notice how I feel moment to moment.   I connect with my Divine guidance, and the messages from within.

Lately my menopausal need to follow intuition AT ALL TIMES has coincided with the culmination of all the prosperity practices I have done over the years.  We have enough money for me to only work when I feel inspired.  It is lovely and what I have dreamt of for years!

You know our journey.  We have built wealth from scratch as artists, coaches & entrepreneurs.  No trust funds or corporate jobs here.  We have intuitively found investments that align with our values.  I teach artists & entrepreneurs how to do this themselves.  If curious, please read my previous blogs or check out my book, Give, Save, Spend;  How to Build Wealth and Change the World.

Our culture devalues music & art, writing, spiritual teaching, and coaching/counseling.  That is backwards.  In my world, those things are the most important for the soul.  And these are things I have always made money at.  

You know the old story of the "struggling" artist or the "poor as a church mouse" minister?  That is an old story.  We are turning the marketplace into an intuitive place.  Heart-centered entrepreneurs are actually changing the world because we create value in the marketplace out of what has heart & meaning.  

So how can you follow your intuition while building wealth?  And have your heart-centered business be intuitive as well as profitable? 

Here are my tips from 25 years of spiritual and practical prosperity practice WHILE making money as an artist, teacher & coach:

Have a centering practice.  The breath is your friend.  Even 5 minutes of breathing to notice how you feel in your center is incredibly powerful.  Many people do much more than this with extended prayer, yoga or meditation.  But even 5 minutes is a start.  This helps you to know your true inner feelings.  Journaling and walking are other ways to tap in to how you feel, and release any negative feelings to feel good again.

Have a positive thought practice.  Train your mind to be in alignment with your inner feelings and desires.  Choose positive affirmations for your life and your business that reflect the life you want!  I have used a simple Affirmation-Intention-Gratitude practice from Unity Church for 17 years and it is very effective for me in training my mind to see good outcomes.  

Have a generosity practice.  I have been a tither for 17 years, giving 10% of my income away.  This giving helps you align with your spiritual inspiration, and know where your intuition is guiding you to be learning.  Tithing also creates money miracles.  Tithing also heals the "starving artist" mentality if you have that It turns your life into a garden of abundance!  Find places to give that inspire you and are doing uplifting work in the world.  

Feed your creativity.  Your inner child of intuition loves to be delighted!  For 25 years I have taken my artist child to places that inspire her~a funky thrift shop with household treasures, a special church service to hear the organ & choir sing, a dance or art class, a walk in the woods.  We need to nurture our inner inspiration, and that sense of fun and delight that we felt as a child.  Even a few dollars for art supplies, or a new musical tool, can be incredibly nourishing to your soul and intuition.

Have an integrity practice.  Notice your true "yes" and true "no" coming from your intuition.  It often helps to have an accountability partner for this, a friend, or coach.  When you commit to something, really commit to it.  And then keep showing up for yourself and what you have committed to.  And then notice where you need to say no, what is not working for your spirit.  Call yourself on your own bullshit. Practice boundaries.

Have a saving practice.  This is very practical, but supportive to your intuition.  It is a lot easier to follow your inner guidance when your life is less stressful.  Build your emergency fund, then begin investing according to your values.  Savings brings incredible peace of mind.  And investments give you time freedom, to do more of your heart's desire.

All of these practices support your soul, your heart, your intuition.  You are always being guided by your inner feeling, and your connection with the Divine.  But the practices help you be more able to listen.  

In our busy lives, stopping to LISTEN is often the hardest, but most important, thing.  That is one gift of the pandemic:  we all had to slow down, whether we liked it or not.

Finally, to have your intuitive gifts honored in the marketplace, I recommend 3 things:

Insist on your value.  One thing I notice is that heart-centered workers are sometimes exploited in the marketplace~not on purpose, but by default.  The heart-centered person is a giver.  We tend to also exploit ourselves by neglecting our own needs~for greater income, for space & time away from work, for self-care.

You can honor yourself by insisting on market value for your services and your gifts.  The act of commitment opens up doors for you.  As Wayne Dyer once said, "you have to believe it to see it."  Choosing to value yourself means you will attract people and situations who do the same.  For me, this choice to value myself has meant that I continue to choose being self-employed, as that gives me the most freedom, respect, and the most income!

Have a consulting mindset.  My whole life I have been a consultant, and it has been extremely freeing.  A consultant shares their gifts, but has flexibility and freedom to move and change the conditions of their employment when their intuition changes.  A consultant also can charge top dollar for their services, knowing they provide expertise in a special niche. 

And a consultant knows their income comes from God and the Universe, not any human person.  There is more a sense of infinite abundance.  Even if you are an employee, if you think of yourself as a consultant, you open yourself more to other intuitive opportunities for creativity and prosperity in your life.  Suddenly, the job is "one source" of your inspiration, not the only one!

Uplift other heart-centered professionals.  Many healing and artistic professions have been historically feminine, and places where women excel.  We are the caregivers.  Not that there aren't caring men in these professions, but the majority historically have been women.  The devaluation of heart-centered work and the devaluation of women's work have gone hand in hand.  Rather than exploit these precious people, we can cherish them.

Insist on benefits, support, and abundant rates for all counselors, artists, musicians, consultants, healers, authors, teachers, ministers & coaches.  Instead of paying these people a stipend when you hire them, pay them generous market rate that includes up-to-date adjustment for inflation/cost of living increase.  Create opportunities that support the heart-centered professional as the "heart" of a community that they are, and help them have an abundant income including financial support for retirement.

Thank you for having the courage to follow your intuition.

I know it is guiding you to an even more wonderful life and a thriving heart-centered business! 

I can't wait to hear what happens for you!

Love & blessings,
Kathy
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