This morning I was downtown early for an appointment, and it was oddly empty as I walked around. Except it was so alive with birds flying and chirping!

Even though it’s technically winter here (mid-February), it’s starting to feel like spring. Yet it feels strange to open up, and drop those tight winter shoulders… just… a… little… bit.

As I kept walking, something huge flew right over my head, and I saw that it was a red-tailed hawk. Wow. Then, looking up meant I caught sight of the V-shape flock of geese in the sky. Another wow. Smiling. Shoulders dropping a bit more. All of this in a brief walk downtown. Unexpected.

Is it a sign?

I wondered as I took in all these birds all at once, Is all this some kind of sign for me? Of what?

I heard my instincts whisper to take it as a sign to open up, open the doors, release those protective shoulders even more. Figuratively and literally.

For instance, I’m opening the doors to a new group program I’ve been developing all winter, and there’s always some nervousness about something new. Will it fly? Will people like it?

It’s finally time to find out. No more overthinking, second guessing. The idea came from a calling, so I’m choosing to trust in that. (I need to write about self-trust. That’s a big topic.)

Fittingly, this new program is about helping others open the doors too. The program is the SOULpreneur Kickstart, about helping a small cohort get their own solo business off the ground, even when starting has been stalled for one reason or another.

Maybe this springtime feeling will help us all get something off the ground. It’s time. And it doesn’t have to be so hard.

Sometimes, it’s about allowing what wants to unfold, what wants to be expressed, and getting help for the confusing stuck parts. No need to stay stuck.

“That’s for other people…”

When I was young (and very closed off and fear-driven), I heard someone talking about doing a wilderness trek that felt outside the realm of possibilities for me, and then he said,

“If you’re sitting there thinking that’s for other people, then you’re exactly who needs to take on this challenge.” 

😳 Whoa, that statement got to me. I was indeed thinking that was only for other people, “the strong and courageous people.” His statement scared me.

And it woke up a part of me too. A part that was craving more for myself than staying so locked up inside, like those hunched winter shoulders. Could I actually do something courageous? It was slowly opening up new parts of my brain.

After a few days of sitting with that nudgy feeling, I signed on for that challenge and did the work to get ready, along with friends who were also nervous. That step of faith did change my life for the better. I’m still grateful for that community and that experience.

I think it planted a seed that helped me so many years later to step gradually into self-employment, with step-by-step support. And that in turn has opened up so many doors, in my heart, and my whole life. I didn’t think that was possible for me.

Passing it on…

Each time I open a door a bit more and find the joy on the other side, it inspires me to help others go for bigger possibilities. Even while still being themselves.

One of my favorite things to help with is to help introverts and HSPs move into the freedom of self-employment. To do work you love, on your own terms, in a way that fits your energy and sustainability needs. No more squishing yourself into a mold.

I put together a group program to do exactly that — to help more people move into self-employment, in a way that fits you. I believe in the hustle-free, gentle approach to business.

I’m excited, even if a little nervous, to open the doors for enrollment. I sent out announcements about it today. Whatever happens is OK. It’s in the going forth anyway that I am celebrating.

One of my favorite things about the new program is that we’ll walk through those steps for starting, together, in a community of kindred spirits. Being with community is so magical for me, and I love creating those experiences for others too.

By the way, I looked up the symbolic meanings of today’s bird sightings:

• The red-tailed hawk is a sign of courage and strength.
• The geese are a sign of finding your kindred spirits.

How fitting.