Why most of the business and marketing strategies out there don't work for a lot of us.
Purposeful work does not follow a pattern
DON’T turn your hobby into a business
With all the talk about “Soul-business” (or whatever it may be called) we often hear that we should turn what we really enjoy doing into our profession or business. However, this message should be taken with a grain of salt. But why?
The tale about followers
Some people in the coaching scene present themselves as superstars in one way or another. They hold huge events that are more like spectacles than deep connections on a human level. They suggest that if we want to help people in any way, then we must strive to live like these “super coaches.”
Self-employment is the death of enthusiasm
I have been self-employed since 2018. But I have only really felt that way for the last 1-2 years. And since then, I have slowly realized how the enthusiasm I originally had for this venture died the moment I wanted to make something of it. Where it was no longer enough for me to enjoy doing something, but where it had to serve a purpose. Where it had to make money. Where it had to attract potential customers. In short, where I was no longer doing it for myself.
Artist or entrepreneur
Tad Hargrave has observed that as self-employed people, we have to figure out where we are on the spectrum between artist and entrepreneur. Basically, the spectrum between creativity and goal-oriented pragmatism. And it’s a very important insight.
I have it all figured out…
We all know those people, both on social media and in real life, that seem like they have it all figured out. They seem to have it all. They seem to be happy. They seem to be special. They seem like they never make mistakes. And I hate those people! I truly do!
It’s party time!
As I mentioned in my last entry , I finished my tiny house mostly because I set myself a deadline. Aside from the final result, this really shows how good I work with a deadline and a little pressure ;-). And it wasn’t just a random deadline.. It was the date of my (tiny) house warming party!
Over the years I spent some time with project lifecycles and especially systems like the one in Dragon Dreaming and the natural cycles of the medicine wheel resonated with me. Within Dragon Dreaming, there are four recurring phases in the cycle: